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THE 


AMATEUR'S    MANUAL; 


OHy 


SPECIFIC  MATING 


OF 


THOROUGH-BRED  FOWLS. 


BY 


I.    K.    FELOEC, 

JN^ATICK,    MASS. 


BOSTOIST: 
B0ST0:N^  PHOTO-ELECTROTYPE  CO. 

1877. 


L  0  (c ,  <> 

r33 


Copyrighted 
By   I.   K.    FELOH, 

1877. 


PREFACE. 


In  ofieriDg  this,  my  first  work  upon  the  mating  of 
thorough-bred  fowls,  I  can  but  feci,  while  I  offer  no 
new  mode  for  the  consideration  of  those  experienced 
in  the  business,  that  its  teachings  may  help  the  ama- 
teur to  avoid  many  of  the  disappointments  and  dif- 
ficulties that  beset  every  one  who  works  out  the 
problem  of  breeding  with  no  help  but  experience. 

Most  of  the  T\Titers  upon  the  subject  herein  pre- 
sented have  treated  it  in  general  terms,  which  con- 
veyed very  few  practical  ideas  to  the  mind  of  the 
inexperienced  breeder.  The  great  need  of  the  inex- 
perienced is  something  of  a  specific  nature ;  and  this 
has  led  mo  to  present,  in  this  little  work,  rules  that 
can  be  applied  in  a  specific  manner.  These  rules,  I 
believe,  can  bo  applied  to  all  the  breeds,  as  well  as 
to  those  herein  mentioned. 

Honestly  made  and  truthfully  recorded  experi- 
ments are  of  far  more  value  and  arc  better  understood 
by  the  amateur,  than  any  theory,  however  forcibly 
presented.     In   these   times   of  rapid    improvement 

i557 


4  Preface, 

and  high  prices  for  thorough-bred  stock,  ho  needs 
all  the  help  the  older  breeders  can  give,  to  shield  him 
from  the  many  mistakes  in  breediog.  In  this  spirit 
I  offer  this,  which  is,  in  a  large  degree,  my  own  ex- 
perience, hoping  that  the  exceptions  to  the  rules  for 
mating  which  I  offer  may  prove  no  greater  in  num- 
ber than  has  been  found  in  other  advisory  works  of 
this  character. 

Should  this  work  be  appreciated  to  thafc  degree 
which  will  warrant  the  taking  up  of  all  the  other 
varieties  in  a  like  manner,  in  connection  with  other 
subjects  of  interest  in  poultry-breeding,  I  shall  do 
so.  Hoping  that  my  efforts  so  far  may  be  of  some 
value  to  the  fraternity,  I  am,  very  respectfully, 

I.  K.  Felch. 


THE  AMATEUR'S  MANUAL: 

OR, 

SPECIFIC  MATING 

OF 

THOROUGH-BRED   FOWLS. 


PAKT  FIRST. 


The  word  "thorough-bred,"  Webster  defines  :  Bred 
from  the  best  blood  ;  completely  bred  ;  accomplished. 

With  the  above  before  us,  we  are  led  to  assert 
that  we  have  pure  blood,  and  absolutely  thorough- 
bred fowls — other  waiters  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standmg. 

No  one  denies  that  we  have  thorough-bred  cattle, 
which,  by  judicious  coupling,  have  been  bred  to  a 
uniform  type  that  is  recognized  at  a  glance. 

We  have,  for  instance,  the  short-horn  cattle,  in 
color  any  shade  found  in  red  and  white  ;  the  Devon, 
which  in  its  purity  is  confined  to  dark  red ;  the 
Jei^ey,  in  its  varied  shades  found  in  fawn,  white,  and 

5 


6  Specific  Mating  of 

black;  and  the  Ayrshire,  in  any  and  all  shades  of 
color.  Now  have  we  not  in  the  Light  Brahma,  Dark 
Brahma,  Cochin,  Hamburg,  Houdan,  Game,  Spanish, 
and  Dorking,  fowls  as  deserving  the  title  of  thorough- 
bred, as  any  of  the  cattle  we  have  named  ? 

Have  they  not  been  "Bred  from  the  best  blood"  — 
completely  bred  —  and  does  any  one  deny  that  the 
breeding  has  been  accomplished  ? 

In  the  cattle  there  is  quite  a  diversity  in  color,  but 
the  fowls  we  have  named  will,  even  in  color,  produce 
their  progeny  in  one  uniform  type,  the  family  like- 
ness more  completely  defined  than  is  seen  in  the 
cattle,  yet  the  same  writers  asserting  we  have  no 
thorough-bred  fowls,  maintain  that  we  have  thorough- 
bred cattle. 

It  is  our  purpose,  in  this  treatise,  to  chronicle 
some  part  of  our  experience,  describing,  as  far  as  we 
can,  a  perfect  sire  and  dam,  and  presenting  our  views 
of  mating  for  breeding  fowls,  claiming  them  to  be 
thorou2:h-bred. 

Practical  knowledge  becomes,  in  one  sense,  science, 
and  should  be  disseminated,  and  no  theory  that  docs 
not  stand  the  test  of  experiment  be  valued  or  promul- 
gated. 

The  Eev.  W.  H.  H.  Murray  truly  says,  "  Wc  strike 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  7 

the  bottom  facts  that  underlie  all  breeding,  Avhen  we 
read  this  sentence ;  '  Every  seed  should  bring  forth 
after  its  kind.'" 

"  Find  the  highest  type  to  perform  the  paternal  act, 
and  we  can  repeat  the  typical  creation.  Find  two 
parents  that  represent  the  original  idea  in  any  organ- 
ism, and  we  can  repeat  the  original  idea." 

These  and  kindred  expressions  fire  the  thoughtful 
breeder  to  his  very  centre,  and  he  searches  to  find 
out  what  constitutes  a  perfect  sire,  and  what  are  the 
requisites  of  a  perfect  dam,  that  from  the  pair  ho 
may  produce  his  ideal  of  perfection,  combining  health, 
beauty,  and  utility  in  the  offspring. 

The  sire  should  have  a  sound  constitution,  perfect 
color,  and  symmetry  '(that  form  of  structure  produced 
by  the  harmonious  blending  of  perfectly  formed 
parts,  as  described  by  the  standard).  He  should  bo 
mild  and  courteous  to  his  dames,  showing  no  lack  of 
procreative  vigor  ;  courageous,  even  pugnacious,  in 
the  defence  of  his  harem. 

It  is  not  only  necessary  that  he  posess  all  these 
individual  qualities,  but  he  should  have  a  record,  or 
pedigree,  that  shows  all  his  breeding  qualities  to  be 
the  result  of  ancestral  blood  and  perfect  breeding. 
Thus  we   have  a  really  perfect  sire.      Such  males, 


8  Specific  Mating  of 

coming  from  a  line  of  like  sires,  invariably  stamp 
their  progeny  in  the  likeness  of  their  own  person- 
ality. Experience  teaches  that  the  sire,  in  his  line, 
has  greater  influence  in  determining  the  color  and 
form  of  structure  than  the  dams. 

The  fact  that  chickens  generally  favor  the  grand- 
sire,  makes  it  all  important  that  the  male  line  should 
not  be  broken,  and  that  the  sire,  should  be  typical  in 
symmetry  and  color. 

Before  speaking  of  the  color  qualification,  and  its 
influence  in  mating,  we  will  submit  the  following, 
proved  by  several  experiments,  that  our  deductions 
may  be  better  understood. 

It  is  asserted  by  pigeon  fanciers,  that  if  a  pigeon, 
white  in  plumage,  beak,  and  toe-nails  (it  matters  not 
from  what  colored  ancestors  it  may  have  been  bred) , 
will,  if  it  breed  at  all,  breed  true  to  white.  An 
Albino  Spanish  fowl,  if  pure  white  in  plumage,  beak, 
and  legs,  will  ever  after  breed  true  to  white. 

We  produced  in  1862,  a  pair  of  white  sports  from 
Golden  Spangled  Hamburgs.  The  male  had  bluish- 
white  toes ;  the  progeny  came  one  third  Golden 
Spangled  in  color,  while  a  cockerel  from  the  pair, 
in  all  respects  white,  bred  to  his  dam  and  to  his  sis- 
ters, produced  all  white  chicks. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  9  ' 

Generally  all  sports,  so  called,  are  white  in  color, 
or  we  think  a  better  expression  is,  that  they  are  void 
of  color. 

By  causes  which  cannot  be  explained,  the  func- 
tion of  color  fails  to  furnish  its  quota  to  the  chicken's 
organism,  therefore  the  chickens  must  be  considered 
a  new  type,  and  lost  to  the  breed,  for  they  cannot  be 
expected  to  transmit  a  color  which  they  never  in- 
herited. 

Wc  admire  a  pure  white  back  and  undercolor  in  a 
Light  Brahma  pullet,  with  a  clearly  defined  stripe 
in  the  hackle.  But  if  successive  matings  of  sire  and 
dam,  both  being  white  in  undercolor,  are  indulged  in, 
the  result  will  be  faded,  and  eventually  white  birds. 
A  plumage  like  that  of  the  Light  Brahma,  made  up 
of  white  and  black,  cannot  be  exempt  from  the  shad- 
ings of  the  one  color  into  the  other  with  which  it  is 
associated ;  and  in  this  breed,  the  standard  wisely 
acknowledges  both  white  and  bluish  undercolor,  and 
gives  no  preference  to  either  shade  in  adjudicating 
for  premiums. 

This  position  is  a  just  one,  and  judges  should  not 
deviate  from  it,  for  without  this  dark  undercolor  in 
the  sire  we  cannot  sustain  the  breed. 

It  matters  not  what  our  likes  or  dislikes  are,  or 


10  Specific  Mating  of 

may  be,  nor  how  we  may  breed  for  our  own  amuse- 
ment ;  yet,  in  all  public  expressions,  we  should  bo 
careful  to  present  each  breed  in  its  true  light,  and  all 
truthfully-recorded  experiments  become  of  much  value 
in  counteracting  whatever  false  ideas  may  appear  in 
print  from  time  to  time. 

Experience  teaches  us  that  the  whole  tendency  of 
breeding  is  to  breed  lighter  in  color.  We  have  only 
to  call  to  mind  the  Light  Brahmas  of  the  past,  to  see 
how  all  of  the  strains  have  grown  lighter  in  color. 
We  all  know  that  the  original  birds  were  dark  in 
undercolor,  and  that  light  specimens,  then,  were  the 
exception.  We  know,  also,  that  a  flock  colonized 
and  left  to  themselves,  grow  lighter  in  color,  and 
finally  become  nearly  or  quite  white. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  we  say :  all  males  of  faded 
light  color  in  plumage  should  be  Idlled  for  poultry. 
In  no  case  should  they  be  used  as  breeders,  for  they 
arc  never  good  producers  of  males,  and,  although  they 
may  for  a  season  beget  good  females,  these  in  their 
turn  will  revert  in  their  breeding  to  their  faulty  sires. 

Why  try  to  utilize  these  males,  and  expect  them  to 
perform  a  work  that  is  impossible.  They  cannot  be 
expected  to  produce  color  when  they  utterly  iaiX  in 
that  quality. 


Thorongh'hred  Fowls.  11 

Yet,  in  the  face  of  all  this  experience,  we  see 
breeders  using,  year  after  year,  white-necked  Light 
Brahma,  faded  light-colored  Plymouth-Eock,  Light 
Buff  Cochin,  splashed-breasted,  bronze-thighed  Par- 
tridge Cochin  sires,  expecting,  by  the  aid  of  counter- 
acting influences  in  the  dams,  to  reach  perfection  in 
color. 

Should  all  the  breeders  of  Plymouth  Eocks,  now  in 
the  infancy  of  the  breed,  step  out  boldly,  using  none 
but  perfect-colored  sires,  or  those  darker  in  color, 
they  would  perfect  the  color  of  their  breed,  which 
they  will  never  do  by  mating  extremes,  as  is  now  the 
universal  rule. 

Why  do  these  breeders  forget  these  facts,  "That 
every  seed  should  bring  forth  after  its  kind  ; "  that 
the  sire,  in  his  line,  has  the  greatest  influence  in  de- 
termining the  color  of  the  offspring,  and  that  there  is 
a  loss  in  color  by  breeding  ? 

Waste  is  written  on  every  thing.  We  are  com- 
pelled to  establish  a  sinking  fund  in  all  operations  in 
life  ;  life  itself  working  on  that  plan. 

In  all  penciled  or  barred  plumage,  we  find  the 
ground-color  to  be  the  lighter  in  shade ;  and,  as 
breeding-strength  fails  (as  it  may  by  severe  in-and- 
in  breeding,  producing  debility  or  a  weakened  con- 


12  Sjpecijic  Mating  of 

stitution)  wo  find  the  progeny  reverting  to  this  lighter 
or  ground-color.  Tiiosc  of  white  losing  their  brill- 
iancy of  color,  black  becoming  mixed  with  white ; 
Light  Brahmas  growing  pale,  and  even  white,  in  the 
neck,  tail  and  wings,  and  finally  pure  white ;  Bufi" 
Cochins  to  pale  bufi',  white  in  flights  and  tail ;  Part- 
ridge Cochins  to  clay-colored  breasts,  not  penciled, 
and  males  bulF-mottled  in  breast;  the  Golden- 
Spangled  Cock,  to  reddish-brown  breasts,  with  white 
appearing  along  the  lower  line  of  the  body ;  there- 
fore, good  color  not  only  requires  the  best  mating  of 
blood,  but  is  also  dependent  upon  the  health  of  the 
parent-birds  while  breeding. 

Nine-tenths  of  all  the  blunders,  in  mating  for 
breeding,  occur  in 

COLOR, 

and  a  corresponding  number  of  all  the  breeders,  in 
mating  their  stock,  fail  to  consider  that  color  is  the 
especial  work  of  the  sire. 

To  be  sure,  good  care  and  generous  feed,  help 
most  materially  ;  for  feathers,  like  grass,  grow  most 
luxuriantly  under  favorable  circumstances.  Poor 
feed,  poor  plumage.  It  starves  alike  with  the  body. 
This  can  well  be  remembered  by  those  who  expect 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  13 

they  have  done  their  whole  duty,  when    they   buy 
nice  stock  and  expect  it  to  produce  premium  chickens. 

The  color  of  the  hackle  of  a  sire  is  to  be  con- 
sidered, especially  as  it  is  to  influence  and  control  the 
hackles  of  his  sons,  for  the  hackle  is  purely  male 
plumage,  and  the  beauty  of  his  sex.  While  the 
color  of  his  neck,  before  putting  on  this  garb,  will 
determine  his  brecdin£:-streno^th  in  the  color  of  his 
pullets.  A  male  that  grows  up  black  in  neck,  to  be 
replaced  or  covered  by  a  white  hackle,  having  a 
yellow  beak,  void  of  a  black  stripe,  will,  as  a  rule, 
beget  pullets  dark  and  many  quite  black  and 
smutty  in  the  neck,  and  male  chicks  white  in  the 
hackle,  like  himself;  while  a  male  with  dark  beak, 
ver}'  dark  neck  and  back,  as  he  becomes  a  cockerel, 
having  a  royal  rich  black  striped  hackle,  will  gen- 
erally beget  both  sexes  too  dark,  if  anything  like 
standard  females  are  mated  to  him.  But  such  males 
are  very  valuable  in  restoring  the  progeny  of  hens 
that  are  light  in  color  of  neck,  wings  and  tails  ;  thus 
utilizing  hens  that  must  otherwise  go  to  the  block. 

The  reader  may  ask  why  recommend  the  mating  of 
very  dark  sires  to  light  females,  and  condemn  mat- 
Lngs  made  "vice  versa." 


14  Specific  Mating  of 

In  answer,  we  will  say  :  — 

1. — The  tendency  is  always  to  breed  lighter  in 
color,  and  the  sire  fails  in  this  respect. 

2.  — The  sire,  in  his  line,  has  the  greatest  control 
of  the  color  of  the  offspring. 

3.  —  Chickens  favor  more  strongly  the  grandsire. 

4.  —  A  white-necked  sire  will  beget  smutty-necked 
females,  which,  in  turn,  revert  to  their  pale  sire,  and 
if  a  like  sire  be  mated  to  the  rule  of  all  white  under- 
color, the  same  having  been  the  breeding  of  the  fe- 
males, they  will  produce  progeny  all  pale  and  faulty 
in  color. 

Experience  teaches  that  cockerels  with  dark  fine 
hackles,  bluish  undercolor,  and  black  wing-flights  and 
tail,  are  the  progeny  of  perfect  or  dark-plumaged  sires. 
So  universally  true  is  this,  that  it  may  be  accepted  as 
a  rule. 

Our  strongest  argument  in  favor  of  the  dark  sire 
and  rejection  of  the  pale  one  is,  that  experience  says 
it  is  best,  and  that  is  our  law. 

The  male  of  all  breeds  whose  plumage  is  made  up 
of  black  and  white,  or  is  parti-colored,  owing  to  their 
profusion  of  hackle  and  tail,  compared  with  the 
females  of  their  breed,  appear  much  lighter  in  color  ; 


Thorough-bred  Foiols.  15 

consequently  they  are  darker  in  breeding  functions 
than  they  appear  ;  and  the  first  point  an  experienced 
breeder  considers,  in  Penciled  and  Spangled  Ham- 
burgs  and  Plymouth  Rocks,  is  the  breast,  bars  of  the 
wings,  and  color  of  beak,  before  considering  the  gen- 
eral surface  color,  knowing  that  if  dark  or  light  in 
these  points,  that  such  will  be  the  breeding  and  in- 
fluence on  the  progeny. 

Many  find  fault  with  the  standard,  saying,  that  to 
mate  specimens  by  it  is  to  make  a  failure  in  breed- 
ing. 

The  fault  is  not  so  much  in  the  standard  as  in  our 
failure  to  consider  the  difierence  in  the  plumage  of 
I3ie  sexes,  when  we  apply  the  standard. 

Size  in  the  sire  is  of  little  importance,  if  he  be  fully 
up  to  the  medium  weight  of  his  race.  An  over- 
grown sire  is  useless  as  a  breeder.  The  one  just 
above  the  average,  vigorous  and  healthy,  will  beget 
one  hundred  chicks  weighing  more  pounds  than  will 
the  overgrown  male  of  the  same  brood. 

Size  and  weight  should  be  considered  in  the  light 
of  the  general  average.  The  best  sire  is  the  one  that 
shows  the  least  difierence  in  the  weight  of  the  indi- 
viduals of  his  progeny. 


16  Sjpecijic  Mating  of 

In  the  small  breeds  we  may  with  safety  choose  our 
sires  above  the  average  weight,  for  it  is  a  singular 
fact,  that  in  the  largest  specimens  of  the  Asiatics  and 
the  smallest  specimens  of  the  smaller  breeds  will  bo 
found  the  most  faulty  birds. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  17 


THE  DAM. 


CoxsTiTUTiON,  prolific-laying,  size,  and  color,  are  im- 
portant, and  are  to  be  preferred  in  the  order  named. 
In  addition  to  this,  a  good  record  of  blood  and  egg- 
productive  merit,  in  her  ancestry,  are  to  be  con- 
sidered in  selecting  dams  for  any  breed. 

A  sound  constitution  and  perfect  health  while  breed- 
ing, has  much  to  do  with  producing  prolific-laying 
stock ;  also  with  the  lustre  and  brilliancy  of  self- 
colors. 

The  dam  produces  the  material  for  the  chicken- 
structure  ;  the  sire  the  life  of  that  structure. 

The  Q^^  is  to  the  chicken  what  the  endosperm  is  to 
plant  life — a  store-house  containing  the  requisites  to 
produce  a  perfect  chicken-structure.  The  life-germ 
that  is  to  absorb  all  this,  being  thereby  built  up 
into  independent  life,  is  imparted  by  the  sire. 

Unlike  the  animal  kingdom,  the  hen  performs  her 
work  as  independently  and  completely  without  the 
male,  as  by  copulation  with  him. 

The  egg-passage,  running  from  the  Qgg  sac  to  the 
rent,  is  a  receptacle,  a  work  house,  in  which  the  se- 


18  Specific  Mating  of 

cretions  of  both  dam  and  sire  are  made  up  into  pack 
ages  called  eggs.      In  this  work-room  impregnatioi 
takes  place.     The  ova,  when  grown  to  a  certain  size 
burst  their  sacks  and  are  expelled  into  this  oviduct 
there  to  receive  the  spermatozoa  of  the  male,  and  in 
their  passage  through  become  encased  in  the  albu- 
men,  the  lining  and  shell  in  turn,  and  expelled  at  the 
vent,  perfect  eggs. 

There  are  in  this  passage,  while  a  hen  is  in  a  healthy 
laying  condition,  from  four  to  six  eggs  in  their  dif- 
ferent stages  of  development ;  the  last  two  nearest 
the  vent  being  beyond  the  influence  of  the  male,  if 
the  hen  has  not  been  previously  exposed. 

All  the  secretions  deposited  in  the  egg-passage, 
must  find  an  escape  at  the  vent,  for  nothing  goes 
back  from  it  into  the  dam's  organism  by  absorption, 
as  is  asserted  by  some  writers. 

We  have  seen  cases  where,  by  means  of  a  cartilagi- 
nous circle  about  the  vent,  fowls  have  been  prevented 
from  laying  their  eggs,  and  in  such  cases  the  eggs  in 
the  egg-passage  will  form  one  over  the  other,  till 
death  is  caused  by  inward  pressure  ;  and  we  have  be- 
fore now  taken  from  the  carcass  a  mass  as  large  as  a 
six-pound  cannon-shot,  cooked  solid  by  fever  heat. 
We  have  taken  from  the  egg-passage  of  a  turkey, 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  19 

five  eggs,  completely  formed  and  shelled,  completely 
cooked  by  inflamation. 

The  following  experiments  seem  to  prove  that  the 
spermatozoa  will  live  doing  its  work  of  impregnation, 
in  this  egg-passage,  only  about  ten  days,  and  we  may 
say  that  the  dam  is  pregnant  for  that  length  of  time. 

We  placed  a  hen  that  had  hatched  and  reared  a 
brood  of  chicks,  without  exposure,  with  a  cock  for 
three  hours,  then  isolated  her  in  a  coop  by  herself. 
The  first  two  eggs  she  laid  in  the  next  forty  eight 
hours,  were  not  fertile ;  eight  of  the  nine  laid  in  the 
ten  days  thereafter  were  fertile.  Those  laid  after 
that  time  were  not  fertile. 

We  placed  a  hen  by  herself  that  had  been  exposed 
while  rearing  her  brood,  and  seven  out  of  the  eight 
eggs  laid  during  the  ten  days  afterwards  were  fertile, 
but  all  eo:o:s  laid  after  that  time  were  not. 

Co 

We  took  a  hen  that  had  just  finished  her  litter, 
wanting  to  incubate,  and  exposed  her  to  the  male  for 
three  days,  then  cooped  her  by  herself.  None  of  her 
eggs  were  fertile.  In  this  case  we  take  it  for  granted 
the  incubating  fever  had  not  abated  so  as  to  admit  of 
an  eflTective  copulation. 

These  experiments,  which  we  can  vouch  for,  seem 
to  indicate  that  if  females  are  cooped  ten  days  before 


20  Specific  Mating  of 

saving  the  eggs,  that  it  will  protect  the  breeder  in  the 
purity  of  the  blood  of  the  chickens ;  but,  as  some 
believe  that  the  whole  litter  of  eggs  are  effected,  it  is 
the  better  plan,  in  changing  hens  from  one  male  to 
another,  to  do  it  at  the  close  of  a  litte'r  of  Q^^^  :  but 
we  are  satisfied  that  after  the  ^r^|i egg,  after  the 
change  is  made,  the  chicks  would  in  nineteen  cases 
in  twenty  bo  the  progeny  of  the  associate  sire. 

We  believe  the  longer  the  spermatozoa  remains  in 
the  egg-passage,  without  being  appropriated,  the 
more  sluggish  it  becomes,  and  that  the  fresh  semen, 
being  more  active  in  its  animalcule  life,  secures  the 
impregnation  of  the  eggs.  This  is  speculation,  but, 
nevertheless,  in  accordance  with  our  experience. 

If  examined  by  the  microscope,  there  will  be  found 
no  ori^anic  difference  in  the  ircrm  found  in  the  yolk 
of  the  Q^^^  and  that  of  the  freshlj'-ejccted  sperma- 
tozoa, both  resembling  a  polywog,  and  thei*e  is  no 
chance,  as  the  author  of  "Secrets  in  Fowl-Breeding" 
asserts,  for  the  dam  to  be  contaminated  by  a  chance- 
copulation  with  a  male  not  of  her  breed. 

There  can  be  no  grounds  for  belief,  that  a  dam  cop- 
ulatins:  with  a  sire  of  a  different  breed  has  lost  her 
purity  of  blood,  and  that  we  can  never  afterwai'ds 
breed  thorou2:h-bred  stock  from  her.      "We  do  not 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  21 

wonder,  if  he  believes  this,  that  ho  asserts,  in  the 
commencement  of  his  ^vork,  that  wo  have  no  abso- 
kitely  thorough-bred  fowls. 

There  can  be  no  contamination  of  the  blood  or 
breeding  of  the  dam  from  this  cause,  unless  it  can  be 
proved  that  there  is  a  union  of  arterial  circulation 
between  the  fetus  or  chick  and  the  dam.  This  is  be- 
yond proof,  for  there  is  no  circulation  in  the  qq^  till 
incubation  takes  place,  and  this  is  carried  on  inde- 
pendent of  the  dam,  and  may  be  a  thousand  miles 
away.  Again,  we  have  cases  on  record  where  an  Q^g 
laid  thirty-three  hours  after  copulation  hatched.  It 
is  clearly  shown  that  the  two  eggs  nearest  to  the 
vent  are  generally  past  impregnation ;  but,  in  this 
case,  the  second  one  was  reached,  and,  owing  to  the 
time  it  takes  to  develop  an  ^^^^  the  vital  germ  must 
have  been  taken  into  the  q^^  at  once,  which  pre- 
cludes altogether  the  idea  that  the  dam  becomes  in- 
jured in  her  blood  by  absorption  through  the  act 
of  copuhition  out  of  her  breed. 

Wo  are  surprised  to  see  men  foreshadowing  this 
belief  in  their  advertisements,  for  surely  breeders  of 
experience  cannot  believe  it,  and  must  look  upon  it 
as  advancing  a  false  theory,  which  docs  the  amateur 
no  good. 


22  Specific  Mating  of 

Size  in  the  dam  is  all-important  if  great  weight  in 
the  progeny  is  tiie  disideratum ;  for,  as  we  have 
shown,  the  dam  furnishes  the  structure,  and  must 
thereby  control  the  size  to  a  much  greater  extent 
than  the  sire. 

Secure  dams  of  good  average  size.     If  they  are  to 
be  used  to  vitalize  some  other  strain,  it  is  necessary 
that  they  be  coarse  in  structure,  and  large  in  bone, 
for  these  qualities  become  toned  down  by  in-breeding. 
They  should  also  be  dark  in  plumage  to  counteract 
the  loss  of  color   in    breeding.     In   support   of  the 
above,  we  will  say  that  we  mated  two  large  hens  to  a 
cockerel  weighing  less  than  nine  pounds,  and  which, 
as  a  cock,  did   not   reach   twelve   pounds  till  three 
years  old,  and  then  onlv  when  exceedino'lv  fat.     Not 
one  of  his  progeny,  at  eight  months  old,  weighed  less 
than  nine  pounds,  and  many  of  them  twelve  and  one 
half  pounds.     Again,  we  mated  a  cock  often  and  one 
half  pounds  to  ten^pound  hens,  and  the  result  was,  at 
ten  months  old  the  entire  male  progeny  was  larger 
than  the  sire,  many  of  the  cockerels  weighing  twelve 
and  one  half  pounds  before  twelve  months  old.     Yet, 
for  ail  this,  we  would  caution  breeders  not  to  go  to 
extremes  in  this  direction. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  23 

The  larger  the  bone  and  structure,  the  longer  it 
will  take  to  mature  the  specimen. 

The  smaller  the  bone  and  offal,  in  comparison  to 
weight,  the  quicker  will  they  mature.  As  a  rule  such 
chickens  are  the  most  profitable  as  poultry,  giving 
better  returns  for  food  consumed.  They  lay  earlier 
in  life,  and  such  are  always  the  most  prolific  layers 
through  life. 

These  early-maturing,  compact  close  feathered 
birds,  generally  win  the  early  exhibitions ;  while 
those  of  larger  bone  and  more  fluffy  plumage,  requir- 
ins"  more  time  to  mature  them,  are  more  successful 
in  the  show-pen  in  the  winter  months. 

Both  these  types  the  breeder  of  Asiatics  are  com- 
pelled to  breed,  for  both  have  their  admirers.  The 
poulterer  and  those  of  a  practical  turn  of  mind  pre- 
ferring the  former,  and  many  of  the  fanciers  the 
latter. 

Our  own  idea,  and  we  believe  the  true  position,  is 
to  take  the  happy  medium,  and  advance  in  size  no 
faster  than  we  can  secure  with  it  the  full  merit  of 
^gg-production  and  symmetry. 


24  Sj^ecific  Mating  of 


BREAST  AJVD  BODY. 


These  are  of  more  importance,  especially  iii  the 
form  of  structure,  for  practical  use,  and  in  the  exhi- 
bition-pen, than  many  at  first  conceive. 

A  specimen,  perfect  in  these  respects,  has  an  in- 
creased chance  to  win  over  one  failins:  in  these 
points,  for  a  failure  of  two  points  in  form  of  breast 
and  body,  will  affect  the  symmetry  of  the  specimen 
three  points  more,  making  in  the  aggregate  five 
points ;  while  to  fail  even  four  points  in  the  hackle 
(and  such  a  specimen  is  seldom  exhibited,  since  it 
has  no  associate  influence) ,  is  no  worse  for  the  speci- 
men than  two  points  as  described  above  —  a  hint 
breeders  may  well  heed  in  selecting  their  breeding- 
stock  or  specimens  for  exhibition. 

How  few  specimens  we  see  that  fill  literally  the 
requirements  of  the  standard,  "breast  full,  broad, 
round,  carried  well  forward,  body  broad  and  deep, 
which,  to  secure  this  shape  in  breast,  must  be 
rounded  at  the  side,  giving  the  round  side-sweep 
which  is  admired  wherever  seen. 


TJiorough-bred  Fowls.  25 

All  who  saw  the  Light  Brahma  Cock  Leo,  2 7 76, 
exhibited  at  Lowell  by  Damon  &  Marshall,  or  the 
Dark  Brahma  Cockerel  exhibited  at  Boston  by  Mr. 
Waterhouse,  in  the  winter  of  1876-77  will  appre- 
ciate this  merit. 

This  formation  gives  better  form  and  carriage  of 
wings,  finer  symmetry  and  more  grace  of  carriage; 
yet  we  see  many  birds  used  by  breeders  failing  in 
all  this,  and  their  place  usurped  by  others  whose  only 
excellence  is  a  good  neck-hackle.  —  A  tvord  to  the 
wise  is  sufficient. 


26  Specific  Mating  of 


MATIJYG  OF  THE  SEXES. 


^N  relation  to  color  in  the  breeds,  we  consider 
^rst  the  Light  Brahmas,  for  it  is  with  this  breed  we 
have  worked  out  most  of  our  experience,  and  it 
comes  easier  for  us  to  employ  it  in  illustration ; 
but  in  all  other  breeds,  so  far  as  thev  have  been  as 
well  established  in  blood,  and  bred  upon  the  same 
plan  or  rule,  we  find  the  same  results. 

We  can  give  no  rule  to  be  applied  to  all  breeds 
unless  all  breeders  have  established  the  rule  of  breed- 
ing one  line  of  sires,  preserving  it  unbroken,  and 
breeding  all  new  blood  introduced  back  to  sires  of 
the  strain,  basing  all  on  the  law  of  in-breeding.  We 
expect  some  may  mate  by  our  advice  as  they  under- 
stand it,  and  fail ;  but  it  will  not  be  the  fault  of  the 
rule,  but  the  fault  of  the  previous  breeding  of  the 
stock. 

Before  going  further  we  will  explain  what  we  term 
"The  Apron."  It  is  the  feathers  that  grow  from  the 
shoulder  joints  along  the  arm  of  the  wing  and  cover 
the   back  entirely   at   the  neck,  spreading   laterally 


Thorough-hred  Fowls,  27 

towards  the  tail,  helping  to  form  the  flatness  of  the 
back  between  the  shoulders,  and  are  covered  by  the 
hackle  of  the  bird  when  standinof  erect.  In  Lifif'it 
Brahmas  it  is  either  black,  black  and  white,  or  white  ; 
and  either  must  be  tolerated  in  the  breed.  The  winff 
and  neck  are  made  up  of  black  and  white,  and  wxxS 
apron  is  the  connecting  link  of  these  two  sectiuuS  ; 
and  where  a  pure  white  apron  is  found,  generall}/  the 
specimen  fails  in  color  of  wing  or  is  short  in  the 
hackle-feathers  ;  yet  for  all  this,  some  judges  will  cut 
a  color  other  than  white  in  this  locality  ;  still  we  pre- 
fer to  consider  it  in  the  same  spirit  as  we  do  :he 
undercolor  of  the  back,  unless  the  apron  has  more 
than  one  half  black  feathers,  then  cut  as  a  dexoot. 
With  this  explanation  we  would  mate  as  follows  .  -  • 


2H  Specific  Mating  of 


LIGHT  BRAHMAS, 


MATING  JNo.  1.  —  Cockerel  in  form  and  color  as  de- 
scribed by  the  Standard,  weighing  from  ten  and 
one  half  to  eleven  and  one  quarter  pounds,  with 
stripe  in  hackle-feathers,  the  black  commencing 
well  up  and  running  in  a  narrow  clear  black 
stripe  to  the  point,  dark  beak,  apron  and  under- 
color and  deep  bay  eyes. 

Hens  weighing  from  nine  to  ten  pounds  ;  in 
form  and  color  as  described  by  the  Standard, 
and  white  in  apron  and  undercolor,  with  bay 
eyes. 

This  I  think  none  will  deny  is  -mating  by  the  Stand- 
ard, and  we  call  it  the  "  ne  plus  ultra "  of  all  Light 
Brahmas  for  the  male  line  of  one's  strain. 

Mating  No.  2. — Cocks  with  wide  black  stripe  in 
hackle  and  light  stripes  discernible  in  saddle 
near  the  tail,  white  in  apron  and  undercolor, 
medium  dark  beak,  and  bay  eyes,  in  other  re- 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  :^9 

spects  as  described  by  Standard,  weighing  from 
eleven  and  one  half  to  twelve  and  one  half 
pounds. 

Pullets  in  form  and  color  as  described  by  the 
Standard,  being  dark  in  the  apron  and  bluish  at 
shoulder,  shading  to  white  towards  the  tan  iii 
the  undercolor,  selecting  them  well  up  m  size. 
Such  a  mating  will  produce  females  that  should 
please  all.  This  and  the  mating  No.  1  we  term 
perfect  in  all  respects. 

Mating  No.  3.  — Mate  males  with  hackles  that  have 
a  good  fair  black  stripe,  but  edge  of  feathers 
free  from  any  smoky  tinge,  white  undercolor  and 
apron,  wing  flights  about  one  half  black,  lesser 
coverlets  of  tail  white,  coverlets  wliite  laced. 

To  females  that  have  neck  nearly  black  or 
what  is  called  smutty,  the  white  edge  of  feather 
smoky  edged  or  entirely  wanting,  with  black 
apron  and  undercolor.  Of  course  in  all  these 
matings  for  color,  the  form  of  structure  is  taken 
for  granted  to  be  as  near  the  Standard  as  we 
can  find  it ;  the  males  to  be  of  standard  weight 
and  the  females  well  up  to  or  beyond  tne  weight 
laid  down  for  perfection. 


30  Specific  Mating  of 

Mating  No.  4. —Males  as  described  in  Nos.  1  &  2. 
To  females  that  are  somewhat  lighter  in  color 
than  described  in  the  Standard,  also  to  females 
that  run  a  trifle  darker  than  the  Standard,  of 
course  regulating  so  that  the  apron  and  under- 
color shall  be  the  reverse  in  the  sexes. 

M4TING  No.  5. — Males  very  dark  in  hackle,  even 
smoky  edged,  beak  very  dark  in  stripe,  apron 
and  undercolor  very  dark,  even  showing  in  web 
of  feather,  wings  as  dark  as  possible,  tail  black, 
and  eyes  a  deep  bay.  (The  bay  eye  is  the 
strongest  sighted  and  the  strongest  breeder.) 

Females  with  extremely  light  necks,  wings, 
apron,  undercolor,  and  tail,  and  light  or  pearl 
eyes  —  in  fact  in  and  of  themselves  worthless, 
only  as  they  possess  good  blood,  being  unfortu- 
nate in  individual  appearance  —  what  the  writer 
terms  scrubs. 

This  mating  utilizes  many  birds  that  would  other- 
wise go  to  the  block.  Such  mating  of  these  ex- 
tremes in  color  many  times  produce  fine  chickens. 
A  breeder  carried  away  by  in-and-in  breeding,  over- 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  31 

steps  the  bounds  of  reason,  and  this  gre^^t  want  of 
color  is  the  result.  His  birds  being  well  bred,  the 
restoration  of  color  is  easily  accomplished.  Some 
may  say  we  should  not  give  countenance  to  such  mat- 
ing. To  such  we  would  say.  Would  you  send  to  the 
butcher  a  white  princess  short-horn  heifer,  or  would 
you  breed  her  to  a  red  bull  and  make  her  valuable? 
Her  pedigree,  which  shows  her  blood  to  be  very  fine, 
is  the  guaranty  that  if  judiciously  mated  she  will 
produce  good  results,  and  for  this  last  mating  we  Avill 
say  that  with  the  exception  of  five  to  seven  per  cent, 
of  the  chicks,  they  will  most  likely  be  of  as  good  an 
averasre  as  matins^  No.  3. 

All  the  male  progeny  of  this  mating  No.  5  that  does 
not  come  well  up  to  the  Standard  should  be  killed  for 
poultry ;  for  it  is  a  questionable  policy  to  use  the 
males  as  stock-birds  (and  especially  if  they  are  to  fill 
the  place  as  one  of  your  line  of  sires)  that  comes 
from  this  extreme  mating.  All  faded,  white-hackled 
males  should  be  killed. 

Let  these  rules  of  mating  Light  Brahmas,  also  the 
rule  of  breeding  in  line  of  sires,  be  rigidly  observed, 
takino^  into  the  breedino^-stock  no  more  than  one 
fourth  of  blood  other  than  the  strain,  and  it  will  mat- 


.^2  Specific  Mating  of 

ter  not  whether  it  be  Felch,  Autocrat,  or  English,  the 
result  cannot  fail  to  be  good  with  the  necessary  dif- 
ference in  the  relationships  of  the  diflferent  matings 
described. 


2horough-bred  Fowls.  33 


DARK  BRAHMAS, 


To  make  a  rule  and  have  it  apply  to  all  breeds,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  circumstances  be  the  same  in  each 
case,  and  when  we  offer  a  rule  for  mating  Dark 
Brahmas  upon  principles  derived  from  experiments 
wrought  out  with  the  light  variety,  we  expect  the 
same  results,  if  the  same  rule  of  breeding,  viz :  ad- 
hering to  a  line  of  male  ancestry,  has  been  observed. 
We  say  male  line,  for  it  is  that  line  which  has  the 
greatest  influence,  as  we  have  shown. 

There  is  no  breed  that  has  proved  so  disastrous  in 
the  hands  of  amateurs  as  the  Dark  Brahma,  and  with 
which  we  have  to  be  so  cautious  when  we  introduce 
new  blood.  The  peculiar  color  and  penciling  of  the 
plumage  is  such  that  a  radical  change  of  blood  always 
deranges  it,  and  therefore  the  necessity  of  a  slow 
process  of  feeding  the  blood.  While  a  three-fourths 
bred  Light  Brahma  would  be  nearly  perfect,  the  dark 
variety  would  not  carry  more  than  an  eighth  of  blood 
out  of  the  family,  and  retain  the  family  characteristics 
of  penciling  and  shade. 


34  Specific  Mating  of 

This  makes  it  a  necessity  to  first  establish  family 
strains  of  blood,  aud  then  adhere  closely  to  an  un- 
broken line  of  sires,  breeding  back  to  that  line  of 
sires  wlienever  new  blood  is  introduced.  Tliere  is  no 
breed  that  demonstrates  this  necessity  more  clearly. 
For  a  striking  example  of  it,  we  have  only  to  call  to 
mind  tlie  Kin^:  of  1877,  the  cockerel  "As^amem- 
non  "  bred  by  Chas.  A.  Sweet,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
that  won  1st  and  special  at  the  International  Exhibi- 
tion held  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  February,  1877.  This 
bird  came  from  an  unbroken  line  of  sires  for  four 
generations  from  an  imported  bird,  and  from  a  fe- 
male line  bred  back  strongly  to  the  same  line  of 
sires. 

When  the  breeders  of  this  variety  will  recognize 
this  necessity,  and  each  of  the  different  importations 
be  preserved  as  near  as  possible  in  the  family  purity 
of  blood,  then  will  they  be  more  valuable  to  the  trade, 
as  we  will  show  in  speaking  of  the  strains  of  Light 
Brahmas.  Then,  also,  can  we  apply  the  following 
rules  with  almost  as  certain  results  as  can  be  obtained 
with  other  breeds. 

Were  we  to  make  a  speciality  of  the  breed,  we 
would  select  the  best  cockerel  we  could  find,  and  a 
large-boned  pullet  with  coarsely  penciled  plumage, 


Thorough-bred  Fowls. 


35 


each   from   different  families   of    blood,    and   breed 
them  and  their  progeny  for  four  years,  as  follows  : 


G8 

Coekl 

O^ 

,p 

G9 

^ 

~— — — ^— — 

^^ 

c^ 

^'\->-^, 

.^ 

G13 

V 

^^"^-.02^ 

^^x' 

>^ 

GIG 

C^ 

;x) 

\ 

Group  1 

/ 

.      5-/^^ 

Vc 
c\ 

G14: 

G6(:.)C 

/^ 

^^^^G4^ 

I 

GU 
G12 

^3 

Dam  1 

HI 

cr 

G16 

Mating  the  first  year  to  produce  group  1 ;  the  sec- 
ond year  a  pullet  from  group  1  to  cockerel  No.  1 ; 
a  cockerel  the  exact  type  of  his  sire  to  hen  No.  1 ; 
a  cockerel  like  the  sire  to  the  pullet  approaching  the 
nearest  to  perfection,  breeding  them  in  and  in ;  pro- 
ducing in  their  turn  groups  2,  3,  and  4,  and  the 
third  year  mating  as  indicated  by  the  lines,  produc- 
ing groups  Nos,  5,  G,  and  7.  In  all  the  young  stock 
using  no  males  that  were  not  the  type  of  the  sire,  nor 
pullets  other  than  the  desired  type  in  penciling  of 
feathers  and  form  of  structure.  In  this  way  produc- 
ing three  families  alike  in  type  and  different  in  blood, 


36  Specific  Mating  of 

yet  made  of  the  same  cross.  This  trouble  will  put 
any  breeder  on  a  firm  footing,  and  ever  afterwards  if 
he  uses  none  but  females  in  the  introduction  of  new 
blood,  and  receives  group  7  in  the  light  of  new 
blood,  disposing  of  the  cockerels,  putting  in  the  new 
hen  8,  breeding  as  indicated  by  the  lines,  disposing 
of  all  cockerels  as  scrubs  or  poultry  that  have  not 
more  than  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  blood  of  the  strain, 
be  will  need  have  no  fear  that  his  birds  will  not  breed 
well  and  his  customers  be  pleased. 

We  can  recommend  the  following  matings  with  a 
feeling  of  certainty  as  to  grand  results 

Mating  No.  1.  —  Hens  that  are  standard,  which  were 
nearly  perfect,  steel-grey  pullets  in  their  first 
year  mated  to  a  cockerel,  metallic -black  in 
breast  and  thighs,  medium  dark  beak,  hackle 
and  saddle,  broad  in  the  black  stripe  and  de- 
cided in  shade.  This  mating  should  be  made  in 
producing  the  male  line. 

Mating  No.  2.  — Hens  that  were  fine  as  pullets  but 
have  become  bronze-hued  as  fowls  mated  to 
a  cockerel  with  a  black  breast,  evenly  dotted 
with   minute  white  spots,    black  thighs,  hackle 


Thorough-hred  Fowls,  37 

and   saddle  well   striped,  and   a   medium   dark 
beak. 

Mating  No.  3.  — To  pullets  that  are  as  near  the 
standard  as  possible,  having  closely -penciled 
throats,  mate  a  cock  black  in  breast  and  thighs, 
which  as  a  cockerel  had  a  breast  spotted,  as  de- 
scribed in  No.  2.  This  will  produce  the  best 
females. 

Mating  No.  4.  —  To  pullets  good  in  other  respects 
but  light  in  color  of  breast,  mate  cocks  black  in 
breast  and  thighs,  with  broad  black  stripe  in 
hackle  and  saddle,  with  very  dark  beak ;  said 
cock  havins:  been  black-breasted  when  a  chick. 


'O 


Mating  No.  5. — To  hens  good  in  color  which  as 
pullets  were  not  penciled  in  breast,  mate  cock- 
erels dark  in  all  respects,  even  in  beak,  stripe  of 
hackle,  breast,  and  thighs ;  the  white,  even,  so 
charged  as  to  be  smoky-laced.  This  is  in  keep- 
ing with  mating  No.  5,  of  Light  Brahmas. 

Nos.   1  and  3  are  the  "ne  plus  ultra"  of  all  the 
breeds. 


38  Specific  Mating  of 

In  all  these  matings  we  should  prefer  long-bodied 
hens,  but  not  so  long  as  to  narrow  at  the  saddle. 
The  cock  should  have  sufficient  length  of  back  to  pre- 
serve the  true  Brahma  type.  The  race  is  too  fast 
approaching  the  Cochin  shape,  an  evil  I  hope  the 
breeders  will  strive  to  remedy,  for  in  doing  so  they 
will  have  less  trouble  in  keeping  up  the  breed  to 
standard  weight.  This  point  should  be  kept  in  mind 
when  introducing  new  blood,  and  large,  coarse  speci- 
mens should  be  chosen,  for  they  tone  down  wonder- 
fully by  in-breeding. 

If  a  strain  is  disposed  to  breed  extremely  light  in 
color,  then  no  cockerels  with  spotted  breasts  should 
be  used  even  in  mating  No.  2  ;  but  should  they  be 
predisposed  to  the  dark  extreme,  cocks  with  spotted 
breasts  should  be  used  in  mating  No.  1,  and  cocks 
slightly  mottled  in  their  breasts,  in  mating  No.  3. 

All  really  light -colored,  stripeless- hackled  and 
saddled  cockerels  should  be  killed,  for  their  use  will, 
as  a  rule,  produce  bad  results.  All  pale,  non-pen- 
ciled-breasted  pullets  should  be  used  as  incubators 
the  first  year,  and  all  that  do  not  ripen  into  good 
color  and  have  penciled  breasts,  as  hens,  should  be 
used  as  poultry.  The  others  should  be  mated  as  in 
matins^  No.  5. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  39 

We  cannot  leave  the  breed  without  a  word  to  such 
breeders  as  Mr.  Sweet  and  Mr.  Mansfield,  who  we 
learn  have  devoted  much  thought  to  their  breeding, 
and  who  are,  in  a  measure,  breeding  upon  the  plan 
herein  laid  down ;  also,  to  Mr.  Perrj,  who  has  the 
"  Wright  Brahmas,"  expressing  a  hope  that  they  Avill 
preserve  their  strains  as  pure  in  family  blood  as  pos- 
sible, and  that  in  connection  with  the  breeding  of 
their  stock  they  will  use  a  public  record  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  history  of  their  respective  strains, 
either  the  "  World's  Pediirree  Book"  or  the  "  Ameri- 
can  Poultry  Association's  Register." 

Buyers  of  this  breed  are  seeing  this  necessity,  and 
we  believe  it  will  pay  for  the  trouble.  The  history 
of  this  breed  has  been  much  like  that  of  the  first  ten 
years  of  the  Light  Brahmas.  The  fact  that  the 
majority  of  the  breeders  believe  frequent  crosses  nec- 
essary, and  the  complication  of  color  has  been  the 
means  of  causing  many  to  abandon  the  breed.  We 
believe  the  breed  can  be  made  a  popular  one  if  the 
rules  herein  laid  down  are  folloAved. 


40  Sj>ecifiG  Mating  of 


PARTRIDGE   COCHIJVS. 


Mating  No.  1.  —  Cockerel  weighing  ten  to  eleven 
pounds,  hackle  and  saddle  rich  bay,  the  black  in 
the  same  being  metallic  greenish-black  and  broad 
in  the  stripe,  metallic-black  breast  and  thighs, 
fluff  showing  ^a  bronze  tinge,  indicative  of  rich 
brown  blood. 

Hens  as  described  in  "  The  Standard."  This 
matino:  is  the  best  that  can  be  made  for  the 
male  progeny. 

Mating  No.  2.  —  Cock  weighing  eleven  to  twelve 
pounds,  and  of  the  same  color  as  described  for 
cockerel  in  mating  No.  1. 

Pullets  large  in  size,  and  in  color  reddish- 
brown  ground  penciled  with  a  deep  brown,  with 
standard  neck  and  tail.  This  mating  will  pro- 
duce finer  females  than  males. 

Mating   No.  3. — Males  showing  bronze-black  tips 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  41 

to  breast  feathers,  even  slight  mottUngs  of  bay 
color,  with  thighs  slightly  bronzed,  and  a  narrow 
black  stripe  in  the  hackle  and  saddle. 

Females  in  plumage  brown,  -penciled  with 
black.  Such  faulty  hens,  by  this  mating,  help  to 
produce  many  good  males. 

Mating  No.  4. — Males  very  dark  in  beak,  hackle, 
saddle,-  breast  and  thighs,  wings  and  tail.  Fe- 
males favoring  the  light  extreme,  beiug  lightly 
penciled  in  breast,  with  liackle  in  which  the  pen- 
ciling of  brown  mottles  the  black  stripe.  This 
mating,  like  the  dark-sire  mating  No.  5,  in  the 
Light  Brahmas,  often  produces  fine  chicks. 

All  pale-hackled,  spla shed-breasted  and  bronze- 
thighed  males  should  be  killed,  and  in  subsequent 
matiuirs  so  mate  that  one  of  the  sex  shall  come  from 
either  mating  No.  1  or  No.  2.  Females  with  clay  or 
non-penciled  breasts,  or  those  with  leaden-grey  and 
black  mixed  in  the  plumage,  should  never  be  used  as 
breeders. 

It  is  a  sad  sight  to  see  so  many  specimens  fail  in 
color.  Many  are  better  described  as  brown  penciled 
with   black,  and   buff    penciled    with   brown.      The 


42  iSjpecific  Mating  of 

Standard  color,  "rich  brown  penciled  with  a  darker 
brown,"  should  be  better  appreciated ;  so  popular  has 
the  reddish  buff  penciled  with  dark  brown  become, 
that  the  judge  who  literally  follows  the  Standard  finds 
many  to  condemn  his  judgment. 

This  breed  is  as  difficult  to  handle  as  the  Dark 
Brahmas,  and  equal  care  in  introducing  new  blood 
should  be  exercised. 

The  breed  requires  close  breeding  to  maintain  the 
fine  outlines  of  penciling,  and  we  think  if  all  the 
statistics  could  be  procured  it  w^ould  be  proved  that 
more  prize-winners  have  come  from  the  breeding  in 
line  as  we  know  to  be  the  case  in  other  breeds.. 
This  is  the  case  of  the  Partridge  Cochin  cockerel 
winning  the  Bristol,  Conn.,  exhibition  in  1876,  and 
belonghig  to  R.  B.  Lewis  of  Watertown,  Conn. 
The  cockerel  came  in  a  direct  line  and  in  the  fourth 
generation  from  the  imported  bird  Emperor,  764, 
through  Ned  Buntline  786,  and  a  son  of  Ned 
Buntline. 


Tliorough-hred  Fowls. 


43 


THE  HOUDAJ^, 


HOUDANS. 


The  Houdans  in  France  and  England  rank  very  rnucK 
as  the  Plymouth  Rocks  do  in  America,  furnishmg  ex- 
cellent poultry  in  summer  and  early  fall,  and  withal 
being  very  good  layers,  filling  the  middle  ground  be- 
tween the  small  and  large  fowls  of  the  lands.  The 
first  im)3ortations  of  these  fowls  proved  very  unsatis- 
factory ;    those    coming   from    France    being   much 


44  Specific  Mating  of 

smaller  than  those  imported  from  English  breeders, 
the  stock  having  improved  in  size  under  their  super- 
vision. Since  the  introduction  of  Houdans  into 
America  the  breed  has  greatly  improved,  and  we  now 
have  yards  in  America  where  they  are  seen  in  per- 
fection. Notable  are  tliose  of  Mr.  H.  A.  Grant,  of 
Tarrytown,  N.  Y.,  and  Mr.  E.  C.  Aldrich,  of  Hyde 
Park,  Mass.  In  conversation  with  the  latter  gentle- 
man we  learned  that  his  first  male,  a  cockerel  from 
birds  imported  from  France,  weighed  only  five  and 
one  half  pounds  ;  but  with  only  two  introductions  of 
blood  from  English  importations  he  has  so  improved 
his  fiock  that  some  of  his  breeding  males  weigh  eight 
and  three  fourths  pounds,  —  an  improvement  but  few 
breeds  can  show.  They  are  also  less  subject  to  roup 
than  formerly,  home-bred  birds  being  equally  as  hardy 
as  other  breeds  except  the  Asiatics. 

The  breed,  made  up  as  it  is  of  plumage  in  feather 
white  and  black,  makes  them  more  subject  to  loss  in 
color  by  age,  than  most  parti-colored  breeds  ;  and  a 
pullet  only  one  fourth  white  will  generall}^  appear 
quite  evenly  divided  in  the  two  colors  as  a  hen  ;  while 
a  cockerel  quite  black  oftentimes  as  a  cock,  appears 
in  the  regulation  uniform,  and  at  three  or  four  yeafs 
old  looks  tolerably  white  on  the  lawn. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  45 

Therefore,  in  mating,  the  breeder  has  to  allow  not 
only  for  loss  in  color  for  breeding,  but  also  for  the 
loss  by  age,  and  must  commence  with  the  young  stock 
much  darker  in  one  of  the  sexes  than  he  desires  ;  and 
in  his  purchases  of  new  blood,  ought  to  select  dark 
specimens. 

The  shape  of  the  crest  is  of  far  more  importance  in 
the  cock  than  the  size  of  it ;  while  in  the  hen,  the 
size  of  the  crest  should  take  the  precedent.  The 
points  most  desired  are  :  symmetry,  form  of  the  sec- 
tions, and  color  in  the  males,  and  size,  health,  size  of 
crest,  and  fullness  of  beard  in  the  females.  With 
this  be  sure  to  have  health  and  egg-productive  merit. 
Therefore,  we  recommend  mating  for  the  best  results 
in  the  male  progeny. 

Mating  No.  1.  —  Cockerels  a  little  more  than  one 
fourth  white,  small  in  comb,  finely  formed  crest, 
and  full  in  beard  ;  in  other  respects  Standard. 

Hens  of  good  average  size  that  have  ripened 
into  Standard  color,  from  pullets  that  were  quite 
dark  in  plumage,  large  crests,  full  beard,  and 
small  combs. 

JMating  No.  2.  —  Cock  that  has  ripened  into  Standard 
color  from  a  cockerel,  like  No.  1. 


46  Sjjecific  Mat  in  j  of 

Pullets  somewhat  darker  than  Standard  color, 
in  form  of  crest,  legs,  and  toes,  as  described  in 
Standard.  Such  a  pen  will  breed  good  birds  of 
both  sexes. 

Mating  No.  3. — -Males  evenly  broken  in  white  and 
black  plumage. 

Females  very  dark  in  plumage.  If  this  mating 
be  kept  up  there  will  soon  be  less  light-plumage d 
birds,  and  the  plumage  will  be  more  uniform 
than  it  would  if  light-colored  sires  were  used. 

Mating  No.  4.  —  Male  nearly  black,  with  beak  and 
legs  dark-colored. 

Pullets  showing  three  fifths  or  more  white  in 
plumage.  In  this  way  all  the  stock  can  be  util- 
ized, except  extremely  light-colored  cockerels 
of  the  breed,  which  should  be  killed;  for  their 
use  will  in  a  few  years  bleach  out  the  flock  to  a 
greater  extent  than  is  desirable. 

We  see  no  reason  why  this  breed  cannot  be  kept 
up  to  Standard  color ;  and  surely  its  practical  worth 
has  been  very  much  improved. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  47 

What  a  few  have  done  in  size,  the  many  ought  to 
be  able  to  do ;  but  in  making  weight,  do  not  lose 
sight  of  the  egg-productive  merit,  for  that  once  im- 
paired would  be  a  severe  blow  to  the  breed. 


48 


B^ecific  Mating  of 


PLYJJOUTII  ROCKS. 


PLYMOUTH   ROCKS. 


This  brcccl,  In  its  different  families,  is  cross-bred  in 
foundation  l>lood,  v/itb  top  crosses  of  the  Doniiniquo 
to  secure  the  color.  To  notice  some  of  the  modes 
wliichliavo  produced  these  beautiful  birds,  wo  cite  :  — 


1.  —  Elack  Spanish  on  Y/liito  Cochin,  top  crossed  with 
Dominique. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  4.D 

2.  — Black  Spanish  on  Gray  Dorkings,  top   crossed 

AMth  Dominique. 

3.  —  Dominique  on  Buff-Cochin  hens,   reaching  tho 

result  through  the  strong  breeding-color  quality 
of  the  Dominique,  by  years  of  breeding. 

4. —  White  Birmingham  on  the  Black  Java,  top 
cross's d  with  Dominique. 

5.  —  White  Birmingham  on  the  Black  Java,  and  tho 
progeny  bred  together,  the  progeny  coming  white 
and  black,  and  Dominique.  These  Dominique- 
colored  birds,  bred  Avith  the  males  produced  by 
mating  No.  4,  produced  the  best  and  surest 
breeders  for  color  of  plumage  and  legs ;  and 
^were  known  by  many  as  the  Essex  Strain,  being 
the  same  in  foundation  blood  as  seen  in  the  so- 
called  Mark  Pitman  birds,  of  1872-3. 

Thus  we  see  that  they  are  the  result  of  mating  thor- 
ough-breds  so  strong  in  color-pigment  as  to  produce 
new  types,  neither  being  strong  enough  to  control  the 
color.  Thus  has  the  color  of  this  breed  been  es- 
tablished, and  the  fact  that  light  and  dark  colors 
have  been  mated  to  produce  the  breed,  has  caused 
breeders  of  this  variety  to  adopt  the  theory,  that  the 


50  Specific  Mating  of 

color  must  be  maintained  by  mating  the  birds  bv  the 
same  rule. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  this  breed  is  in  its 
infancy  of  organism  ;  and  being  in  most  cases  not  far 
removed  from  the  first  crosses,  there  yet  lingers  a 
struggle  of  the  different  bloods  for  supremacy ;  and 
we  find  many  more  cases  of  reverting  to  the  original, 
tlmn  in  older  and  better-established  breeds ;  yet  the 
same  law,  in  the  main,  controlls  it;  and,  although 
both  sexes  in  the  progeny  do  not  grow  lighter  alike, 
yet  the  tendency  is  for  the  males  to  breed  to  the  light 
extreme,  while  a  large  percentage  of  the  females  are 
good  in  color,  and  the  balance  favor  the  dark  ex- 
treme ;  yet,  when  we  consider  the  whole  progeny 
(although  we  are  led  to  doubt  the  general  rule  when 
we  think  of  the  few  black  pullets  that  sometimes  ap- 
pear) the  preponderance  of  testimony  goes  to  prove 
that  it,  like  all  other  breeds,  grows  lighter  by  breed- 
ing. 

We  have  enough  of  the  breed  well  on  the  way  to 
perfection,  and  as  we  shall  be  troubled  less  with  re- 
version of  the  progeny  to  the  first  crosses  the  farther 
we  get  from  them,  all  can  see  the  folly  of  trying  to  make 
the  breed,  instead  of  buying  those  now  perfected. 

The  universal  rule  of  matinof  lis^ht-colored  males  to 


ThoTOugh-hred  Fowls.  51 

dark-colored  females  is  clearly  a  mistake,  for  the 
male  in  his  line  generally  stamps  the  males  in  plu- 
mage like  himself — a  type  in  this  case  which  we  do 
not  desire. 

We  mated  in  1876  a  more  than  medium-dark  male 
to  nearly  black-barred  females,  and  the  result  was  the 
best  colored  flock  of  Plymouth  Rock  chickens  we 
ever  saw.  There  was  not  a  black  pullet  in  the  lot, 
and  the  lightest  shade  in  the  males  would  be  called 
medium  color,  while  a  light-gray  male  used  on  these 
same  females  produced  but  few  desirable-colored  fe- 
males, and  all  but  very  few  of  the  cockerels  were  the 
counterpart  of  the  sire.  Surely  in  this  breed  it  pays 
to  ^^  find  the  highest  type  to  perform  the  patei-nal  act " 
if  we  expect  to  produce  our  ideal  chickens. 

These  rules  must  not  be  condemned  upon  one  ex- 
ception. "A  single  swallow  does  not  make  a  sum- 
mer." A  light  cockerel  for  a  single  season  may  breed 
splendid  chicks,  breeding  back  to  a  perfect  sire,  but 
it  is  morally  certain  that  his  sons  will  revert  with 
double  force  to  the  evils  found  in  him ;  for,  if  in  all 
other  breeds  we  find  the  rule  that  the  chicks  favor  the 
grand-parents,  why  should  this  prove  an  exception? 
The  breed,  as  it  becomes  more  and  more  perfected, 


52  iSpecijic  Mating  of 

will  be  govei  ncd  more  and  more  by  the  rule  applj'ing 

to  other  breeds. 

Ill  the  light  of  our  experience  with  this  breed  so 
far,  and  finding  it  so  in  unison  with  our  exporimonts 
with  tlie  Lis^ht  Bralunas,  and  the  results  of  '77  beins^ 
like  these  of  7 (J,  we  recommend  the  matings  of  this 
breed  as  follows  : — 

Mating  No.  1. —  Males  with  ])reast  of  the  color  de- 
sired in  the  females,  with  yellow  beak  and  legs, 
with  neck,  back,  and  tail  evenly  barred  the 
light  shade  predominating,  yet  free  from  any 
white  feathers  in  flights  or  tail,  mated  to  females 
in  plumage  slightly  darker  than,  yet  accurately 
described  by  the  Standard.  This  should  be  the 
mating  to  preserve  the  male  line. 

Mating  No.  2. —  A  cociv  like  the  one  described  in 
Mating  No.  1,  mated  to  females  slightly  lighter 
in  color  than  described  by  the  Standard,  will  be 
found  to  produce  such  females  as  the  popular 
taste  requires ;  but  the  males  will  be  hardly  up 
to  color. 

l\LvTiNG  No.  3. —  Males  a  light  medium  in  color, 
mated  to  the  very  darkest  females.     Males  ex- 


TJioroitgli-hred  FoioJs.  53 

cceclingly  dark  from  this  mating  should  not  be 
used  in  one's  best  pens,  for  the  very  extremes 
should  be  avoided. 

]\LiTixG  Xo.  4. —  Males  much  darker  than  the  me- 
dium, with  very  deep  yellow  beak  and  legs, 
mated  to  light-colored  females  (those  having 
cither  gray  breasts  and  white  or  cloudy  neck- 
feathering),  will  be  found  to  produce  many  very 
fine  chicks,  and  the  mating  stands  upon  the  same 
basis  as  matins^Xo.  5  in  Liirht  Brahmas.  All  the 
faded,  light-colored  males  should  not  be  used  in 
breeding  for  fancy  points.     They  cannot  do  the 

breeder  any  good,  unless  wanted  for  poultry 
purposes. 

The  color  of  the  breast,  eye,  and  beak  are  the"  best 
indications  of  color  in  breedinsr.  A  sire  medium  in 
color  of  plumage,  with  -a  deep-yellow  beak,  in  which 
is  seen  indications  of  a  color-stripe,  and  with  a  deep 
bay  eye,  will  breed  darker-colored  chicks  than  Avill  a 
sire  dark  in  plumage,  light  in  beak,  and  having  a 
light-colored  eye. 

AVe  believe  the  requirements  of  the  Standard  in 
the  color  of  the  leg  to  be  too  arbitrary.     There  is  no 


54  Specific  Mating  of 

rejison  why  this  breed  should  not  be  as  impartially 
dealt  with  as  the  Dark  Brahmas,  and  like  them  al- 
lowed to  be  yellow  or  dusky  yellow  in  the  legs. 
There  is  more  dark-leg  blood  in  the  Plymouth  Rock 
than  in  the  Dark  Brahma.  Again,  the  females  seldom 
if  ever  come  yellow  in  leg  when  chicks,  but  as  they 
approach  maturity,  grow  brighter  in  color  and  clearer 
in  shade. 

This  breed,  if  properly  handled  and  kept  in  its 
true  position,  occupying  the  middle  ground  between 
the  small  and  Asiatic  breeds,  will  become  better 
appreciated,  and  any  attempt  to  produce  fowls  equal 
in  size  to  the  Asiatics  will  mar  their  usefulness.  We 
are  glad  to  see  that  such  breeders  as  V.  C.  Oilman  of 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  are  taldng  this  stand,  for  we  believe 

they  will  be  sustained  in  it.  We  shall  breed  our 
birds  upon  that  principle,  striving  to  produce  them  in 

just  that  size  and  type  which  will  produce  the  most 
merit,  viz  :  the  best  poultry  and  the  greatest  produc- 
tion of  eggs. 


Tliorough-hred  Fowls.  65 


BROWJV  LEaSORJfS. 


BROWN    LEGHORNS. 


Tub  firct  importation  of  Brown  Leghorns  into  this 
country  was  in  1853.  This  importation  was  bred 
along  the  Mystic  River,  Conn.,  and  they  were  then 
called  Kcd  Leghorns.  These  fowls  were  short  in  leg, 
red  in  e:ir-lobo,  and  very  small  in  size.  The  modern 
rxqiiisition  of  white  ear-lobes,  long  legs,  and  ^et* 
more  than  five  points  in  the  comb,  the  dark-brown 
color,  and  greater  weight,  has  been  the  result  of  the 


5i)  Sj)ecijic  Mating  of 

following  crosses  known  to  the  writer  :  Spanish  sires 
bred  upon  Black  Red  Game  hens,  and  the  progeny 
bred  to  Brown  Leghorn  cocks,  and  this  progeny  in- 
bred to  sire ;  again,  Black-Eed  Game  sire  upon  Black 
Spanish  dams,  and  the  progeny  bred  to  Brown  Leg- 
horn cock,  and  inbred  as  before  ;  and  Black  Spanish 
hens  have  been  bred  to  Brown  Leghorn  cocks,  and 
the  progeny  inbred. 

Thus  we  have  birds  of  a  type  far  different  from 
the  original  ones,  and  the  Brown  Leghorns  of  1877 
are  as  much  different  in  color  and  type  from  those  of 
1853  as  can  well  bo  imagined  ;  and  they  well  deserve 
the   ai:)j)cllation   of  an   American-bred   bird.      Now 
there   is  an  excuse  for  these  crosses.      They  were 
found  to  be  chance  birds  in  their  own  country,  but  in 
acclimating  prove  a  valuable  acquisition  to  this  coun- 
try's poultry  stock.     Finding  the  stock  indifferently 
bred  in  its  native  country,  it  was  considered  easier  to 
produce  blood  for  new  infusions  from  a  foreign  ele- 
ment, which  was  of  greater  benefit  than  to  rely  on 
new  importations.     Yv^cre  we  making  a  specialty  of 
the  breed,  wc  would  certainly  make  the  following 
crosses  for  future  use,  viz  ;    A  Black  Red  Game  cock 
upon   a   mahogany-breasted   Partridge    Cochin   hen, 
l)reeding  a  pullet  of  this  mating  to  a  Black  Spanish 


Thorouah-hred  Fowls.  57 

cock ;  and  that  progeny  to  a  fine  Brown  Leghorn 
cockerel,  and  breed  his  pullets  back  to  hhii.  The 
breeder  would  in  this  way  get  the  needed  size,  quiet 
disposition,  and  the  constitution  of  the  Cochin ;  and 
also  run  clear  of  the  white  feathers  produced  by  the 
use  of  the  Claybornc  Game  of  recent  crosses. 

Breeders  will  appreciate  this  trouble,  and  such  a 
stock  of  birds  will  in  three  j'cars  be  much  valued. 
They  are  needed  now,  for  the  race  is  fast  losing  size 
and  stamina.  Of  course  size  and  constitution  can  bo 
given  in  a  single  cross,  but  such  a  cross  would  bo  too 
crude.  The  half-bred  Spanish  and  Game  pullet  will 
do  this ;  but  it  would  injure  one's  reputation  to  put 
such  eggs  on  the  market.  Patience  and  perfect  breed- 
ing pays. 

In  these  crosses,  and  in  fact  in  all  crosses,  let  the 
point  sought  for  be  the  get  of  the  breed  in  which  it 
is  the  prominent  feature.  For  instance,  if  you  would 
cross  for  a  white  car  lobe,  use  the  Spanish  male  on 
the  Leghorn  female  ;  for  the  progeny  cany  back  to 
grand-sires,  and  Spanisli  ci-ossos  will  show  the  white 
ear  even  in  the  sixth  generation.  The  r:sult  that 
breeders  arc  striving  for  can  be  more  easily  attained 
in  this  way,  than  b}^  the  use  of  the  Spanish  hen. 
The  Brown  liCghorn  race  is  faulty  in  thLs  respect,  for 


58  Sj>ecijic  Mating  of 

jast  this  reason  ;  and  it  is  a  very  strong  jiroof  that 
the  original  fowls  were  red  in  the  lobe.  We  find  it 
much  easier  to  get  females  with  fine  ears  than  males. 
In  mating  the  race  as  we  find  it  at  the  present  time, 
we  would  recommend  the  following  :  — 

LIating  No.  1.  — Sire,  a  cockerel  with  a  rich  bay 
hackle  striped  with  black,  which  as  a  chick  was 
also  known  to  have  had  the  neck  feathers  black 
in  stripe ;  comb  having  but  f^YQ  points,  and  in 
other  respects  standard. 

The  dam,  pure  salmon  brown,  but  not  that 
deep  shade  sometimes  seen ;  the  ground-color  of 
back  and  wing  coverts  pure  brown,  penciled 
with  a  darker  brown,  and  the  feathers  of  saddle, 
lapping  on  to  the  tail,  having  a  sage  tinge  to  the 
brown  color.  Wings  free  from  all  red  or  brick 
color ;  the  hackle  free  from  all  yellowish-brown 
pcncilings  ;  comb  that  stands  partially  erect,  roll- 
ing at  about  one  half  its  height,  and  in  other  re- 
spects as  near  to  the  description  of  the  Standard 
as  can  be  obtained. 

This  is  the  "  ne  plus  ultra,"  and  should  be  the 
mating  for  the  male  line.  The  females  from  this 
mating  will  be  fine  also. 


TJtorougli-bred  Fowls»  59 

LIating  No.  2.  —  Males  as  near  Standard  as  possible, 
except  the  comb  should  have  five  points,  and  the 
neck-hackle  may  be  a  light  bay  with  a  tolerably 
good  stripe  in  it.  A  very  narrow  but  black 
stripe  is  to  be  preferred,  though  one  broader  but 
not  much  darker  than  a  brown,  may  be  tolerated. 
Females  quite  dark  in  the  salmon  shade  of 
breast,  wings  and  back  brown  with  penciling  that 
shades  nearer  black  than  brown  ;  also  wings  free 
from  any  red  shading.  In  other  respects  Stand- 
ard. Such  a  mating  will  produce  as  fine  females 
as  mating  No.  1. 

llilATiNG  No.  3.  —  Males  of  a  like  character  as  de- 
scribed in  mating  No.  2,  yet  a  lighter  shade  can 
be  induli^ed  in. 

Pullets   with    exceedingly    dark   breasts,   and 
havinsr  the  red  tiu2:e  in  the  win^rs.     This  reddish 

o  o  o 

tinge  is  a  serious  fault,  yet  such  birds  produce 
many  fine  chicks. 

Mating  No.  4.  —  Males  dark-bay  hackled,  the  stripe 
being  very  distinctly  defined,  even  at  the  base, 
so  wide  as  to  form  a  black  necklace  around  the 
neck  —  in  fact  the  dark  extreme  in  color,  and 
Standard  as  to  form. 


GO  Specific  Mating  of 

Females,  those  "we  term  tlic  light  extreme, 
T\'hose  back  and  Avinsr  covei'ts  look  like  faded 
brown  cloth,  and  pale  in  breast  color. 

The  progeny  may  be  restored  to  color  in  this  cross 
and  faulty  females  thereby  utilized.  The  light  straw- 
hackled,  mottle-breasted,  and  bronze-thighed  males 
should  be  killed,  for  to  use  them  is  an  evil  to  bo 
shunned,  as  described  in  other  breeds.  The  first  and 
second  matings  are  considered  the  perfect  ones,  and 
the  third  and  fourth  those  of  expediency  or  necessity. 
The  breed  is  certaiidy  one  of  the  best  for  practical 
purposes,  and  Avith  the  Plymouth  Kock,  seems  to  fill  a 
place  in  the  economy  of  poultry  that  none  of  the  other 
varieties  arc  so  well  capable  of  doing. 

We  cannot  leave  the  breed  without  a  tribute  to  the 
late  J.  II.  Pierce  of  Worcester,  for  he  was  a  gentle- 
man and  a  genial  friend,  and  the  stock  he  left,  was 
in  all  probability  the  purest  in  real  Leghorn  blood  of 
any  in  the  country.  jNIr.  Pierce  acquired  the  new 
features  of  white  earlobes,  and  high  station,  with  less 
of  foreign  bh)od  than  any  other  breeder.  lie  was  a 
strong  advocate  of  selection  in  breeding.  We  think 
it  will  be  found  to  be  true  that  he  never  made  a  Span- 
ish cross,  and  sold  the  birds  for  pure  Leghorns  in  his 


Thorough-bred  Foiols,  ()1 

life.  Ho  leaves  us  a  legacy  of  honesty  in  the  trade 
that  many  would  do  well  to  emulate.  IMany  re- 
member the  cock  ^^  Chief  "hrcd  by  him,  which  was 
the  best  in  five  well  contested  and  prominent  exhibi- 
tions ;  and  which  is  now  over  five  years  old,  and  still 
holding  the  vigor  of  his  youth.  This  bird,  with  the 
entire  Pierce  stock,  was  purchased  by  Rev.  II.  A. 
Shorey  of  Boston,  and  formed  the  foundation  blood 
of  that  gentleman's  present  breeding  stock.  INIay  the 
future  record  of  this  strain  be  no  less  successful  than 
its  history  has  shown  it  to  be  in  the  past. 


62  Sjiecific  Mating  of 


BUFF  COCHIJVS. 


In  Self-Colors  the  male  should  always  be  the  darker 
in  shade. 

Mating  No.  1. —  A  cockerel  of  a  deep  reddish  buff- 
color,  with  chestnut  tail  and  wings,  Standard  in 
other  respects,  should  be  mated  to  hens  that  are 
pure  buff  in  color,  medium  in  shade,  and  in  form 
of  structure  as  described  in  the  Standard. 

Mating  No.  2. —  A  cock  of  medium  shade,  the  result 
of  a  reddish-buff  cockerel,  but  showing  black  in 
wing  and  tail,  mated  to  pullets  that  are  good  ex- 
hibition color,  will  produce  fine  females,  while 
pullets  very  dark  in  shade  mated  to  this  same  bird 
will  produce  fine  males. 

LIating  No.  3. —  Males,  dark  in  every  respect  even 
having  nearly  black  tails,  to  pale-whitish  buff  fe- 
males. This  is  the  only  mating  of  extremes, 
especially  in  Buffs,  that  should  be  made. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  ('3 

All  pale-buff  males  should  be  sacrificed  to  the  mar- 
kct-mau,  for  they  not  only  become  mealy  in  the 
Tvings  and  white  in  the  tails  with  age,  but  their 
progeny  as  a  rule  are  faulty,  and  it  is  worse  than  folly 
t®  use  them  as  breeders. 


61 


BjpecifiG  Mating  of 


SOLID   COLORS. 


In  tlio  solid  colors  like  white  and  black  a  <jood  con- 
stitution and  health  while  breeding  is  iill-important, 
no  matter  what  the  breed,  for  brilliancy  of  color  and 
purity  of  shade  are  dependent  upon  it. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  Qtb 

The  rule  to  guide  in  mating  is  as  follows  :— 
A  metallic-black  male  mated  to  females  of  the  same 
hard  smooth  surface-color  is  the  best  for  both  males 
and  females,  but  such  a  cock  mated  to  females  dead- 
black,  lacking  in  brightness  and  metallic  surface, 
will  breed  fine  pullets,  but  the  male  progeny  is  gen- 
erally much  poorer  than  the  female.  In  black  there 
is  little  to  do  beyond  these  two  distinctions  of  color. 
The  metallic  hard-finished  surface  and  the  dull  black, 
if  crossed,  restores  to  the  progeny  the  metallic-black 
desired.  Birds  of  this  gross  should  be  mated  to 
those  of  the  metallic-black  mating. 

These  facts  wc  glean  from  our  friend  James  M. 
Lambing  whose  cut  wc  present.  Mr.  Lambing  keeps 
up  the  blood  of  his  Hamburgs  by  importing  each  year 
the  best  blood  ho  can  procure. 


60  Specific  Mating  of 


GEJV'ERAL    REMARKS. 

ON    THE    TREATMENT  OF    BREEDING-STOCK. 

A  FEW  general  remarks  as  to  repairing  diseased  or 
broken  plumage,  etc.,  may  not  come  amiss. 

If  in  white  birds,  or  in  the  white  in  parti-colored 
specimens,  colored  feathers  appear,  especially  if  black 
feathers  appear  in  white,  they  will  oftentimes  if  pulled 
be  replaced  by  feathers  true  to  the  color  of  the 
breed. 

Young  cockerels  are  often  attacked  by  older  birds, 
and  their  plumage  marred,  in  which  case  the  feathers 
so  injured  grow  slim  and  longer  than  the  others.  We 
have  seen  sickle  feathers  corrugated  along  the  quill 
and  white  in  a  black  tail,  removed,  and  afterwards  re- 
placed by  a  perfectly  black  pair.  We  should  not 
despair  of  an  otherwise  exhibition  bird,  till  we  had 
removed  these  diseased  and  faulty  feathers,  and  given 
time  for  them  to  grow  anew,  for  the  majority  of  cases 
prove  their  restoration  true  to  color. 

The  only  way  we  can  keep  our  stock  in  presentable 
plumage  during  the  breeding-season  is  by  watchful- 
ness, and  by  removing  all  diseased  and  broken  feath- 


TJioroiigh-hred  Foiols,  07 

crs,  which  will  bo  replaced  by  new  ones  ;  otherwise 
the  fowls  must  wear  their  broken  plumage  till  the 
moulting  season,  and  look  badly. 

A  Light  Brahma  having,  say  from  two  to  twenty 
black-tainted  feathers  in  the  back,  if  thej^  are  pulled, 
will  often  replace  them  with  white  ones.  The  pro- 
cess can  be  repeated  till  all  are  secured  true  to  color. 

The  best  time  to  hatch  the  breedins^-stock  we  be- 
licve  to  be  from  iMay  20th  to  June  10th.  Such  birds 
come  in  the  time  of  year  when  they  do  not  suffer  from 
cold,  and  they  grow  rapidly  and  continually  till  ma- 
ture. Cold  weather  comes  on  just  in  time  to  check 
their  laying  ;  and  generally  they  will  not  have  laid  more 
than  ten  or  twelve  eggs  before  we  are  ready  to  use 
them  ;  and  wc  get  them  vigorous  from  the  freshness 
of  young  productive  life.  Again,  the  adult  fowls 
moult  and  rest,  and  generally  have  laid  but  few  eggs 
before  their  cirsfs  are  needed  for  incubation.  From 
such  pullets,  and  these  rested  hens,  we  believe  the 
best  eggs  for  incubation  are  procured.  Early  pullets 
that  commence  laying  in  the  fall,  and  lay  through  to 
March,  sustaining  a  strain  of  six  months'  laying,  we 
do  not  consider  as  good  for  the  breeding-pen  as  the 
pullets  named  above.     We  believe  the  time  and  the 


G8  Specific  Mating  of 

way  which  aiiproachos  nearest  nature's  fitness  of 
thhigs,  the  best  to  produce  our  breedmg-stock. 

The  first  forty  eggs  laid  by  a  hen  after  moulting, 
or  the  eleventh  to  the  fiftieth  a^g  laid  by  a  pullet,  are 
better,  and  the  chicks  from  them  prove  larger  and 
finer,  than  those  laid  afterwards  dunng  the  same  breed- 
in2C-season. 

Cockerels  arc  the  safest  for  winter  breedinix.  A 
good  plan  is  to  use  a  cockerel  till  April  1st,  and  then 
turn  the  harem  over  to  a  3'ouiig  male  coming  two 
year,  old,  from  which  to  raise  3'our  breeding-stock, 
thus  producing  them  in  the  time  of  year  nature  in- 
tended. Such  birds  generally  have  more  symmetry 
and  merit  than  those  unnaturally  produced. 

There  can  be  no  definite  rule  for  number  of  females 
to  one  male ;  this  the  breeder's  good  sense  must  de- 
termine. There  must  be  enough  so  that  copulation 
will  not  be  accompanied  with  coercion.  This  number 
will  be  found  to  be.  in  Asiatics,  from  eight  to  fifteen ; 
in  Plymouth  Eocks,  ten  to  twenty ;  Iloudans,  from 
ten  to  fifteen ;  and  in  Leghorns  the  number  can  still 
be  increased.  "Where  less  numbers  are  kept,  the  male 
should  not  be  allowed  to  run  with  the  females  con- 
stantly. 

Experience  teaches  that  twenty  is  better  than  two. 


Thoroujlt-hred  Fowls.  G9 

Two  years  ngo  wc  had  l>irds  ponuccl  in  iiumbcrs  rang- 
ing from  six  to  eighteen,  and  in  every  case  the  eggs 
from  the  hirgcr  inunber  hutched  the  best.  In  one  pen 
they  utterly  failed,  and  when  wc  increased  ihc  num- 
ber to  fifleen  birds  nearly  all  the  c^^'i  hatched,  and  the 
progeny  v.-erc  largely  female. 

The  feed  while  the  plumage  is  growing,  both  in 
chicks  and  moulting  fowls,  has  much  to  do  with  its 
color.  AVriters  aflirm  that  the  reason  wild  birds  arc 
so  stcrcot^'ped  in  color  is  because  of  their  freedom  to 
select  just  Avhat  food  they  need.  'Wc  do  not  think  it 
so  much  the  kiiid  as  the  supply  of  it,  and  protection 
from  the  inini-ious  effects  of  the  sun,  that  controls  the 
color  ;  nor  do  we  acknowledge  that  the  wild  partridge 
is  any  more  sterer)ty[)ed  in  color  and  form  than  our 
Partridge  Cochins.  This  question  was  raised  at  the 
Connecticut  Poultry  E\hi])ition,  when  II.  F.  Fclch 
and  II.  S.  Ball  retired  to  the  market  and  plucked 
feathers  from  different  i>artridL!:es  and  bronirlit  the 
same  to  compare  with  the  Cuchins  then  on  exhibition 
which  showed  them  to  ];e  no  nearer  uniform  in  plu- 
mage ;  another  fdct,  the  partridges  had  both  smooth 
and  feathered  leirs. 

If  a  chick  be  starved  it  will  not  onlv  be  dwarfed  in 
stature  but  will  fail  in  color.     AVe  have  seen  speckled 


70  Specific  Mating  of 

half-starved  Light  Brahmas  when  put  on  generous 
diet  slough  their  objectionable  coats  and  grow  plu- 
mage true  to  their  kind. 

Young  chicks  should  be  fed  on  boiled  egg,  canary  and 
millet  seed,  wheat,  cracked  corn,  whole  corn  and  bran 
mashed  with  corn  meal.  These  fed  in  abundance, 
and  a  careful  protection  from  cold  winds  and  rains, 
will  leave  no  excuse  for  bad  plumage  if  the  breed  be 
pure  in  blood.  In  milk  there  is  everything  a  chicken 
needs  but  fat.  Baked  indian-cake  and  warm  milk  will 
make  chickens  grow  faster  and  put  exhibition  birds 
in  better  trim  than  any  other  two  things  wc  can  name. 

The  finest  specimens  are  those  that  do  not  cease  to 
grow  from  the  time  they  hatch  till  full  maturity.  A 
chick  that  suffers  a  severe  check  in  its  growth  while 
young,  seldom  proves  a  prize-bird,  and,  when  hatched 
in  winter,  provision  should  be  made  for  producing 
green  vegetable  food  in  the  way  of  green  oats,  to 
carry  them  through  till  the  grass  comes  in  the  spring. 

The  care  of  the  flock  does  not  consist  entirely  in 
furnishing  a  plenty  to  cat,  but  watchful  oversight, 
seeing  to  it  that  they  do  not  huddle  in  large  numbers 
in  one  place  at  night.  Wc  used  to  think  that  it  was 
injurious  to  allow  them  to  roost  before  six  months  of 
age,  but  we  have  altered  our  opinion  and  recommend 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  71 

it  at  the  age  of  sixteen  weeks.  They  should  be  induced 
to  occupy  low  perches  two  inches  wide,  for  there  will 
not  be  one  half  the  injury  arising  from  this  as  from 
the  poisoning  influences  of  their  exhalations  when 
crowded  into  small  coops. 

If  we  take  pains  to  cover  the  chicks  whose  weaning 
corned  in  a  cold  season  of  the  year,  by  throwing  a 
blanket  over  the  coop  to  keep  off*  the  cold  night-air, 
or  to  coop  the  broods  in  the  afternoon  when  cold 
east- winds  are  blowing,  we  many  times  secure  the 
season's  success.  By  these  little  attentions  at  just  the 
right  time  we  enhance  our  chances  of  winning  at  the 
winter  exhibitions. 

We  can  assist  nature  to  do  her  work  perfectly. 
We  do  not  consider  it  a  sin  to  straighten  a  hare-lip 
or  crossed  eyes  in  our  children,  or,  if  the  muscle  of 
the  leg  be  contracted,  to  use  the  knife,  that  they  may 
walk  without  limping  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
nor  do  we  consider  these  things  injurious  to  repro- 
duction. And  taking  this  care  of  our  own  offspring, 
wherein  is  the  sin,  if  by  judicious  means  we  secure 
perfect  development  in  our  chicks  ?  In  nine  cases  in 
ten,  chicks  hatch  with  a  perfect  organism ;  now,  is 
not  any  work  legitimate  that  secures  its  perfect  de- 
velopment?     Should  a  chick  hatch  web-footed,  the 


72  Sjpecific  Mating  of 

web  should  be  cut  back  to  its  proper  structure,  thus 
liberating  the  toes  to  grow  in  their  legitimate  angles. 
While  the  comb  in  Light  Brahmas  chicks  will  hatch 
perfect,  its  peculiar  shape  makes  it  less  likely  to  de- 
velop properly  than  a  single  comb.  In  many  cases 
bad  combs  can  be  prevented  by  proper  treatment. 

The  first  thing  that  nature  does  in  case  of  a  wound 
is  to  repair  it.  Therefore,  if  the  middle  division 
is  seen  to  be  growing  too  rapidly,  the  serrations  of 
this  division  should  be  pricked  with  a  sharp  instru- 
ment so  as  to  make  them  bleed.  This  process  will 
check  the  growth  of  this  division  and  allow  the  side 
divisions  to  grow  into  proportion  with  it.  If  the 
middle  and  one  side  seem  to  be  growing  faster  than 
the  other  side,  the  same  process  of  treatment  applied 
to  both  will  allow  the  weaker  division  to  grow  into 
proportion  with  them.  An  old  cock  may  give  a  chick 
a  severe  peck  in  one  side  of  the  comb  so  as  to  turn  it 
to  one  side.  A  corresponding  wound  on  the  other 
side  will  maintain  it  in  its  proper  position.  By  this 
means  wo  succeed  in  making  the  comb  grow  into 
proper  shape.  Is  it  not  better  to  do  so  than  to  let  it 
grow  into  an  irregular,  deformed  mass,  and  then. turn 
butcher  and  cut  and  slash  the  comb,  making  a  bad 
job  of  it,  and  receive  the  just  censure  of  our  fellow- 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  73 

breeders  ?  Three  fourths  of  all  the  bad  combs  are 
the  result  of  external  causes  and  unnatural  feedinir  to 
produce  very  large  birds. 

The  leg-feathering  can  be  '^vonderfully  assisted  in 
its  growth,  and  many  a  crooked  toe  saved  by  pulling 
all  foul  feathers.  The  skin  of  the  foot  and  Icir  is 
tough,  and  the  feathers  oftentimes  grow  along  under 
it,  from  one  fourth  to  one  half  an  inch  before  pene- 
trating the  skin,  thus  causing  the  toe  to  turn  in. 
TVc  have  pulled  these  feathers  four  times  before  suc- 
ceeding in  making  them  grow  properly. 

The  breeders  and  amateurs  as  a  rule  are  too  lazy 
to  attend  to  all  this  minutiae  (and  the  writer  is  as 
guilty  as  anyone  he  knows,  yet  a  guide-board  may 
tell  the  way,  if  it  docs  not  go  itself). 


74  Specific  Mating  of 


THE  STRAIJSrS  OF  LIGHT  BRAHMAS, 

We  speak  of  fowls  as  being  of  such  and  such  a  per- 
son's strain,  but  with  no  significance  in  the  sense  of 
individuality.  Fowls  cannot  be  said  to  be  of  a  strain 
unless  it  can  be  shown  by  history  or  pedigree  of  blood 
that  they  possess  fifty  per  cent,  or  more  of  the  blood 
of  the  strain.  A  type  that  reproduces  itself  is  simply 
the  result  of  an  established  strain. 

It  is  proper  to  speak  of  Williams',  Oilman's,  Lam- 
bing's,  Buzzell's,  Dibble's,  or  Bacon's  stock ;  but  to 
speak  of  strains  of  blood  in  this  connection  is  all 
wrong,  for  there  does  not  exist,  nor  has  there  ever 
been,  but  four  strains  of  Brahma  blood  brought  to 
the  country,  and  we  have  to  number  the  birds  Mr. 
Burnham  calls  Grey  Shanghais,  to  reach  even  that 
number. 

If  A  purchase  a  cock  of  B,  and  the  second  year  pur- 
chase one  of  C,  to  follow  it  upon  his  flock,  the  chicks 
cannot  be  called  A's  strain ;  nor  can  it  be  called  A's 
stock,  only  in  the  sense  of  ownership,  for  the  blood 
is  one  half  C's,  one  fourth  B's,  and  only  one  fourth 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  75 

the  original  blood  of  A's  stock,  C's  stock  being  the 
more  proper  name,  since  it  has  twice  as  much  blood 
of  that  strain  as  either  of  the  others. 

The  word  strain  implies,  in  breeding,  a  strict  ad- 
herence to  the  blood  of  a  particular  family  or  im- 
portation, admitting  no  more  foreign  blood  than  is 
necessary  to  sustain  the  health  and  vigor  of  the  race. 

In  this  chapter  it  is  our  purpose  to  show  what 
strains  have  been  received  and  to  what  extent  they 
have  been  retained,  showing  as  far  as  possible  what 
the  principal  Light  Brahmas  of  the  country  are  made 
up  of ;  for  the  time  has  come  when  information  show- 
ing that  a  recorded  history  of  blood  and  breeding  of 
both  sire  and  dam  is  needed. 

One  may  have  females  of  one  strain  and  purchase 
a  male  of  another,  and,  by  in-breeding,  sedUrc  both  in 
their  purity,  for  there  is  a  constant  waste  going  on  in 
the  blood,  which  must  be  replaced ;  and  we  think  it 
can  be  demonstrated  that  more  than  one  eighth  of 
foreign  blood  has  to  be  introduced  before  the  original 
suffers  any  organic  change,  and  that  this  one  eighth 
is  consumed  by  the  original  in  suppl3dng  this  waste 
spoken  of.  To  illustrate  our  position,  we  will  mate 
the  strains  as  we  would  a  pair  of  chicks  of  one  strain, 
and  show  that  the  same  rule  of  in-breeding  applies  to 


76  Specific  Mating  of 

them  as  to  the  fowls  of  mq  established  strain.  We 
mate  a  Felch  sire  to  an  Autocrat  hen ;  the  first  sea- 
sou  the  progeny  is  one  half  Autocrat  and  one  half 
Felch.  In  the  second  year  we  mate  these  pullets  to 
this  same  sire,  No.  1  Felch,  and  produce  chicks  that 
are  three-fourths  Felch  and  one-fourth  Autocrat.  We 
also  mate  a  cockerel  of  the  first  cross  to  the  Autocrat 
dam,  and  produce  progeny  three-fourths  Autocrat. 
The  third  year  we  mate  the  three-fourths  Felch  pul- 
lets again  to  the  original  sire,  and  we  produce  seven- 
eighths  Felch  birds,  while  again  mating  a  three- 
fourths  Autocrat  cockerel  to  the  original  dam,  we 
produce  a  progeny  seven-eighths  Autocrat.  We  have 
now  produced  the  two  strains  from  a  single  pair,  and 
we  claim  them  to  be  in  their  purity,  for  the  blood 
of  each  has  been  gradually  reduced  in  each  family 
until  entirely  consumed.  Beyond  the  point  named 
it  will  not  do  to  go,  as  further  in-breeding  would  re- 
sult in  sterility  ;  yet  we  can  take  birds  from  each  of 
these  families  of  the  third  year's  breeding  and  repeat 
the  same  process  "ad  libitum." 

We  can  vouch  for  this  experiment  up  to  this  point 
of  seven  eighths.  It  is  on  this  principle  that  we  have 
the  pure  Duchess  and  pure  Princess  cattle ;  and  al- 
though we  may  say  a  cow  is  one  one-huudred-and- 


ThorougJi-hred  Fowls.  11 

twenty-eighth  Old  Favorite,  yet  is  purely  the  blood 
of  Old  Favorite  of  Short^horn  fame,  we  are  consist- 
ent, for  this  infusion  of  one  eighth  new  blood  but 
supplies  the  waste  in  the  original ;  consequently  noth- 
ing is  added,  and  the  blood  remains  pure. 

Among  horse-men  the  rule  generally  followed  is 
to  breed  out,  as  they  term  it,  once,  and  breed  in 
twice,  by  which  process  they  reach  oniy  the  three- 
fourths  rule,  which  is  hardly  enough  to  secure  against 
loss  of  type  and  color  in  poultry ;  for  we  have  de- 
monstrated that  one  eighth  is  the  amount  actually 
consumed,  and  if  we  do  not  breed  in  to  that  extent 
our  flock  gradually  changes  in  type  and  color.  If 
with  a  strain  once  established  we  make  a  cross,  and 
breed  back  to  sires  of  the  strain  having  out-crosses 
ether  than  the  ones  we  have  described  above,  wo  can 
breed  in  so  far  as  to  produce  chicks  sixty-one  sixty- 
fourths  of  the  blood  of  the  original  strain.  Males  of 
such  production  are  valuable,  but  the  females  are 
generally  poor  layers  and  poor  breeders,  producing 
small,  tough-shelled  eggs,  which  seldom  hatch. 

The  matings  that  produce  birds  three  fourths  and 
seven  eighths  the  blood  of  the  original  strain  (this 
being  the  prolific  stage  of  in-breeding)  have  the  most 
merit  as  egg-producers  and  show-birds.      Pride  in 


78  Sjpeciflc  Mating  of 

one's  strain,  and  a  desire  to  keep  up  the  prepotency 
in  the  male  line  should  be  the  only  inducement  to 
breed  beyond  the  seven-eighths  cross. 

To  do  this  work  of  breeding,  and  the  more  easily 
to  control  it,  a  record  or  pedigree  should  be  kept  by 
every  breeder ;  and  all  males  and  pens  of  females 
used  as  breeders  be  named,  if  for  no  other  reason  than 
to  give  them  an  individuality,  and  to  fix  them  in 
memory. 

All  breeders  should  keep  a  pedigree-book.  The 
time  has  come  which  compels  us  to  do  so  for  self-pro- 
tection, for  the  prominent  strains  are  becoming  more 
or  less  intermingled.  The  Standard  by  its  influence 
is  converting  the  different  strains  into  one  common 
type  and  color.  Since  there  is  no  outward  indication 
of  difference  of  blood,  one  can  see  how  essential  a 
pedigree  is,  so  that  in  mating  we  may  be  sure  of  a 
cross  when  we  purchase  a  sire  or  dam.  One  hardly 
wishes  to  send  one  thousand  miles  for  s]Decimens 
to  put  into  his  flock,  and  find  them  identical  in  blood 
with  his  own. 

The  cattle-breeder,  in  purchasing  a  bull  to  stand  at 
the  head  of  his  herd,  looks  up  his  pedigree,  and  by 
that  pedigree  is  enabled  to  select  one  that  is  bred  in 
line  with  his  own  stock ;  yet  with  a  cross  of  blood 


Thorough-bred  Foivis,  79 

that  will  by  its  introduction  improve  bis  berd  and  be 
consumed  by  it,  without  changing  in  any  way  the  in- 
dividuality of  the  strain  of  blood  he  takes  pride  in 
breeding. 

This  introduction  of  new  blood  is  but  the  feeding 
of  the  strain ;  and  it  is  of  as  vital  importance  to 
know  what  we  feed  to  the  blood,  as  to  know  what  we 
feed  in  the  manger,  to  support  the  life  of  the  organ- 
ism. 

A  truthful  record  or  -pedigree  would  crush  out  the 
existing  jealousies,  and  restore  harmony,  for  it  com- 
pels breeders  to  stand  or  fall  upon  their  own  merits, 
and  makes  the  blood  and  the  specimen  of  a  strain 
worth  as  much  in  one  man's  hands  as  in  another's,  as 
we  now  see  demonstrated  in  Short-horn  cattle. 

None  can  fail  to  see  what  a  benefit  it  would  be,  if  a 
printed  record,  or  history  of  all  the  Light  Brahmas 
now  bred  in  the  States  could  be  made  as  a  basis,  —  a 
foundation-blood,  from  which  to  obtain  a  pedigree,  or 
to  use  in  mating ;  and  what  an  influence  it  would  have 
on  the  same,  by  bringing  such  strains  and  sub-strains 
into  notice,  and  as  a  result  furnish  a  ready  market. 

The  real  strains  being  once  established,  and  the 
situation  understood,  the  breeder  would  be  relieved 
of  the  annoyance  of  having  inferior  stock  palmed  off 


80  SjpeciJiG  Mating  of 

as  his  strain  by  irresponsible  parties,  and  the  blun- 
ders in  mating  made  by  purchasers  would  be  pre- 
vented. The  pedigree  discloses  the  breeder ;  and  the 
assertion  that  such  are  Felch,  Autocrat,  or  Philadel- 
phia birds,  if  proved  by  a  pedigree,  has  a  meaning, 
and  protects  the  honest  breeder.  We  know  many 
are  opposed  to  pedigree,  for  it  prevents  the  selling 
of  superannuated  hens  as  yearlings,  and  presents 
to  the  amateur  too  sure  a  rule  for  breeding;  for  the 
selfish  say :  Let  the  beginners  do  as  we  did,  and 
work  out  the  problem  for  themselves  by  experience. 

In  looking  over  the  winning  birds  for  the  past  ten 
years,  it  is  surprising  to  see  how  universally  it  is  true, 
that  they  are  the  result  of  uniting  two  strains,  and 
breeding  back  to  one  of  them.  As  we  present  the 
history  of  the  different  strains  and  sub-strains,  or 
flocks  composed  of  two  or  more  strains,  with  statis- 
tics as  to  their  breeding,  the  rule  will  be  apparent. 

THE   BURNHAM   STEAIN. 

This  strain  was  as  he  affirms,  and  as  we  understand 
the  matter,  the  Grey  Shanghai  of  1849-50.  From 
this  blood  was  produced  the  fowls  presented  to  the 
Queen.     In  1866  the  purest  blood  of  this  strain  was 


Thorouglt-bred  Foiols.  81 

found  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Phillips,  and  was 
known  and  handled  by  Mr.  Williams  and  Mr.  Comey, 
as  Phillips  birds.  Mr.  Phillips,  just  before  his  death, 
in  conversation  with  Mr.  Comey,  asserted  that  his 
flock  was  from  the  birds  sent  to  the  Queen  by  Geo. 
P,  Burnham,  that  he  had  bred  them  as  closely  as  he 
could,  using  but  one  or  two  top  crosses,  and  breeding 
back  in  a  general  way.  He  did  not  preserve  the 
strain  by  any  fixed  rule  of  in-breeding,  yet  he  must 
have  preserved  to  a  large  degree  the  original  blood,  as 
his  birds,  to  a  large  extent,  came  with  single  combs.. 
They  were  dark  in  blood,  preserving  the  Chittagong 
characteristic  of  dark  undercolor.  The  blood  of 
this  Chinese  strain  has  been  used  to  a  considerable 
extent  by  breeders  of  other  strains,  as  we  will  show 
anon.  Until  1856  or  1858,  these  birds  were  known 
as  Chittagongs,  or  single-combed  Brahmas,  as  was 
also  the  Rankin  strain. 

THE    RANKIN    STRAIN. 

The  original  birds  of  this  strain  were  from  India. 
This  Mr.  Rankin  can  clearly  show.  They  were  large 
in  frame,  had  low  single  combs,  dark  undercolor  in 
back,  and  large  lemon-colored  legs  with  a  prominent 


82  8jpeciflc  Mating  of 

greenish-blue  vein  down  the  inside.     The  last  feature 
seems  to  have  followed  the  crosses  of  this  strain  with 
other  strains,  and  seems  to  have   been  transmitted 
more  readily  than  any  other.     Up  to  1866  this  strain 
or  importation  was  kept  pure.     About  that  time  the 
different  exhibitions  ceasing  to  give  prizes  to  single- 
combed  Brahmas,  Mr.  Kankin  was  compelled  to  use 
top  crosses  of  pea-combed  sires  from  the  Chamberlin 
strain,  and  other  sub  or  mixed   strains,  to  secure  the 
engraftment  of  the  pea-comb  on  his  strain ;  and  as 
breeding  back  so  as  to  retain  the  pea-comb  would  be 
too  discouraging  a  process   to  accomplish  his  pur- 
pose, it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  race  hardly 
held  its  own  as  a  strain,  foi*  it  would  be  obliged  to 
retain  full  fifty  per  cent  of  the  original  blood  to  be 
called  a  strain  now. 

These  birds  however  have  been  largely  used  by 
the  breeders  of  other  strains,  for  Mr.  Eankin  shipped 
larire  numbers  of  them  to  Connecticut  and  to  and 
about  Philadelphia,  which,  with  the  Dr.  Kerr  birds, 
have  largely  entered  into,  and,  being  subject  to  top 
crosses  of  the  Chamberlin  strain,  have  become  the 
origin  and  foundation-blood  of  the  Philadelphia 
(Tees)  strain. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls, 


83 


THE    PHILADELPHIA    STRAIN. 


COCK  WRIGHT. 

Bred  hy  Joseph  M.  Wade  ( PJdladelphiu  Strain), 

The  Philadelphia  strain  was  known  as  Kensington 
or  Tees  stock  about  1867  and  1868.  While  these 
birds  can  hardly  be  called  a  distinct  strain,  yet  as 
such  they  have  been  used,  in  connection  with  those  of 
the  Eankhi  strain,  by  the  breeders  of  the  Autocrat 
and  Chamberlin  strains,  and  the  crosses  have  proved 


84  Specific  Mati)vj  of 

of  the  very  best,  and  as  auxiliaries  deserve  a  notice 
in  tills  connection. 

This  sub-strain  (so  to  speak)  which  comprised  the 
Brahmas  in  and  about  Philadelphia  in  186G,  were  the 
winners  in  the  Philadelphia  and  the  New  York  exhi- 
bitions 4n  that  year,  and  were  called  the  "  Tees " 
birds.  In  conversation  with  Messrs.  Henry,  Tees, 
Sharpless,  and  Herstine,  we  learned  that  the  founda- 
tion-blood was  originally  from  India  and  the  Dr. 
Kerr  birds  which  were  from  China.  Whether  they 
made  allusion  to  the  birds  sent  to  Philadelphia  by 
Mr.  Rankin  or  to  birds  direct  from  Chittagong,  we 
cannot  say,  and  it  makes  but  little  difference,  for,  as 
they  affirmed,  they  were  single-combed,  as  a  rule, 
and  large  of  frame,  with  pale-yellow  legs. 

From  1863  to  1868  these  birds  were  converted  into 
pea-combed  stock  by  top  crosses  of  birds  from  Con- 
necticut and  New  York,  which  were  probably  from 
the  Chamberlin  strain,  or  birds  of  like  orisfin.  At 
least,  we  know  this  to  be  true  in  the  case  of  the  bird 
known  as  the  fourth-prize  cock  of  New  York,  in  1868, 
at  the  rink,  he  beiug  from  a  cockerel  bred  by  Mr. 
Pool  of  New  York,  and  out  of  hens  by  Baron  San- 
born 302,  bred  by  I.  K.  Felch, 

I  have  spoken  of  the  peculiar  color  and  vein  in  the 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  85 

leg  of  the  Rankin  strain,  and  the  power  with  which 
the  race  transmitted  it. 

The  fact  that  this  feature,  though  in  a  milder  de- 
gree, was  apparent  in  the  crosses  of  the  Philadelphia 
birds  with  those  of  the  Felch,  also  with  the  crosses 
of  the  Autocrat  strain,  seems  to  indicate  that  the 
Eankin  or  similar  blood  entered  largely  into  the 
foundation-blood  of  the  Philadelphia  birds  of  that 
psriod,  as  the  parties  I  have  alluded  to  affirm. 
Again,  the  birds  brought  from  Philadelphia  in  1868 
and  1869  had  the  color  of  the  Chamberlin  leg,  yet 
they  still  retained  the  Rankin  shape  of  bone,  being 
more  round  in  its  formation  than  that  of  the  Cham- 
berlin stock.  It  will  be  seen  that  all  the  birds  pur- 
chased of  Mr.  Williams  from  his  so-called  "  Favorite 
Stock"  did  not  materially  alter  the  blood,  for  they 
were  but  the  result  of  mingling  the  blood  of  the 
Rankin,  Burnham  (the  Phillips  Stock),  and  the 
Chamberlin  strains,  which  is  like  the  blood  of  the 
Philadelphia  strain,  for  Burnham's  and  the  Dr.  Kerr 
birds,  they  affirm,  were  alike  and  from  China. 

The  cock  "  Wright,"  whose  cut  we  are  able  to  fur- 
nish through  the  kindness  of  Joseph  M.  Wade,  edi- 
tor of  the  Farmer's  Journal,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
who  had  him,  we  are  assured  was  the   best  type  of 


8Q    ^  Specific  Mating  of 

the  Philadelphia  Brahmas  of  his  day,  1872.  These 
birds,  it  will  be  seen,  were  quite  short  in  the  back  as 
compared  to  the  Autocrat  or  Chamberlin  strains. 
The  descendants  of  this  bird  are  now  found  in  their 
greatest  purity  of  blood,  in  the  hands  of  McKeen 
and  Hulick,  of  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  they  purchasing 
of  Mr.  Wade  eleven  of  Wright's  sons  and  daughters, 
upon  which  there  has  been  but  one  top  cross,  that 
being  an  Autocrat-bred  bird,  and  the  progeny  bred 
back  to  the  progeny  of  Wright.  We  understand 
McKeen  and  Hulick  have  procured  some  males  of 
the  same  blood  as  Wright,  and  will  strive  to  repro- 
duce these  birds  as  near  as  is  possible  in  the  same 
form  as  they  were  found  in  1866  and  1868,  when 
such  good  results  were  obtained  by  the  infusion  of 
the  blood  with  that  of  the  Autocrat,  and  Chamber- 
lin or  Felch  strains. 

One  fact  worthy  of  note  here  is,  that  the  old  hen 
exhibited  by  Charles  Tees  in  1867,  then  eleven  years 
old,  was  as  fine  a  Light  Brahma  hen  in  color  and  size 
as  has  been  shown  since  ;  and  her  beautiful  pea-comb 
shows  that  there  were  pea-combs,  and  bluish  under- 
colored  specimens  bred  in  1856.  She  weighed  four- 
teen pounds  and  four  ounces,  a  larger  weight  for  a 
Brahma   hen  than    has    since  been    bred.     Thirteen 


Thorough-bred  Foivls.  87 

pounds  and  fifteen  ounces,  and  fourteen  pounds  being 
the  best  weight  for  a  Felch  bird,  and  fourteen  pounds 
and  two  ounces  the  lars^est  Autocrat  hen  on  record. 
The  writer  fails  to  see  that  the  Almighty  has  suffered 
man  to  increase  the  size  beyond  that  of  the  original. 

There  were  several  breeders  of  these  Philadelphia 
birds  of  1868,  and  if  they  have  kept  a  record  of  the 
top  crosses  used  since  that  time  that  have  been  of  a 
different  strain,  it  will  be  of  much  interest  to  others  ; 
for,  as  breeders,  we  are  compelled  to  breed  to  that 
form  and  color  defined  in  the  Standard  of  Excellence, 
and  our  strains  constantly  needing  blood-food,  it 
makes  it  necessary  that  the  blood  of  each  strain  be 
different,  and  thereby  does  it  become  more  valuable. 

All  the  strains  are  dependent  one  upoii  the  other 
for  this  blood-food,  and  not  only  is  it  a  personal  in- 
terest to  preserve  these  distinct  types  of  blood,  but 
it  becomes  a  general  necessity,  for  a  strain  that  is 
isolated  soon  runs  out ;  the  loss  of  color  and  vitality 
soon  works  its  own  ruin. 

The  top  cross  of  Beauty  Duke  upon  the  Philadel- 
phia birds,  as  Mr.  Wade  and  the  writer  understands 
the  matter,  was  simply  adding  a  new  top  cross  to  the 
amount  of  one  fourth  the  blood  of  the  Chamberlin 
derived  from  the  cross  of  the  fourth-prize  cock  of 


88  8jpeciJiG  Mating  of 

New  York,  1868,  with  Felch  hens.  But  if,  as  it  has 
been  claimed,  he  was  the  progeny  of  a  son  of  Duke 
of  York  and  a  Philadelphia  hen,  upon  a  Felch 
and  Philadelphia  hen,  then  he  carried  into  his  Phila- 
delphia harem  one  eighth  the  blood  of  Old  Autocrat 
and  one  eighth  Chamberlin  blood,  as  a  top  cross  upon 
the  Philadelphia  birds  of  1868,  and  in  Mr.  McKeen's 
hands,  I  learn,  the  progeny  was  bred  back  to  Wright, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  progeny  from  the  males  pur- 
chased of  Mr.  Plaisted,  spoken  of  above. 


Thorough-bred  Fowls. 


89 


THE    AUTOCRAT    STRAIN. 


A    LIGHT    BRAHMA    HEN 
of  the  **  Autocrat "  strain,  winner  of  the  national  Exldbition  at  Chicago  in  1876, 

Tho  history  of  this  bird,  Autocrat,  is  well  known. 

Mr.  Estes  purchased  the  bird  in  Fulton  Market,  New 
York,  the  seller  avowing  that  ho  was  imj^orted.  The 
subsequent  history  of  this  bird,  his  strong  breeding 


90  Specific  Mating  of 

qualities,  the  fact  that  when  the  blood  was  crossed 
with  other  strains  it  produced  new  types,  this  with 
the  Pearl  eye  so  different  from  the  prevailing  bay  eyo 
in  other  Brahmas,  to  my  mind,  presents  grounds  for 
believing  the  assertion  that  he  was  imported,  although 
there  is  no  proof  to  that  effect. 

This  bird  was  bred  one  season  to  females  whose 
foundation-blood  was  the  Geo.  P.  Burnham  birds, 
being  the  progeny  of  the  stock  sent  to  the  Queen  by 
that  gentleman ;  the  birds  being  "Phillips  Stock,"  so 
called  by  Mr.  Williams  who  sent  them  to  Mr.  Estes. 
In  1866  Mr.  Estes  presented  Autocrat  to  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, who  bred  him  to  the  best  birds  he  could  pro- 
cure from  several  sources. 

The  better  to  understand  the  advantasjes  received 
by  the  breeders  of  Light  Brahmas  through  the  advent 
of  "  Old  Autocrat,"  it  is  necessary  to  say,  that  before 
the  war  Mr.  Williams'  stock  of  Light  Brahmas  con- 
sisted of  the  Chamberliu  blood,  through  purchases 
of  them  at  Yalley  Falls,  the  Burnham  blood,  and  the 
blood  of  the  Eankin  importation.  When  Mr.  Wil- 
liams returned  from  the  war,  his  old  love  clinging  to 
him,  he  commenced  again,  by  purchasing  the  best 
stock  he  could  procure  in  his  locality,  the  same  being 
descendants  from  stock  he  bred  before  going  south ; 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  91 

also  birds  of  Mr.  Stroiit  of  Framingliam,  that  were 
from  a  cock  purchased  in  Abington,  mated  to  a  Felch 
hen  by  a  son  of  Baron  Sanborn  302  ;  also,  hens  of  H. 
G.  White,  which  were  pure  Felch,  by  Baron  Sanborn 
302.  Birds  bred  from  these  elements  were  the  foun- 
dation-blood in  Mr.  Williams'  yards,  and  out  of  which 
came  his  "  Favorite  Stock ; "  and  the  same  were  in 
his  possession  when  Old  Autocrat  appeared  on  the 
stage.  Autocrat  was  mated  to  the  best  birds  to  be 
found  in  all  these  elements,  and  the  male  produce 
was  Autocrat  3d,  Eaton's  Autocrat,  Lord  Berkeley, 
and  two  other  sons. 

Old  Autocrat  died  early  in  the  season.  Lord 
Berkeley  was  a  dark-plumaged  bird,  and  as  he  bred 
very  dark  he  was  sold  to  go  West. 

Autocrat  3d  was  a  very  large  bird  but  did  not 
prove  a  good  sire,  many  of  his  chicks  coming  single- 
combed.  The  greenish-blue  vein  was  prominent  in 
the  leg,  which  strongly  indicated  a  Rankin  cross  in 
his  dam.  He  was  lost  by  sickness,  and  his  place 
filled  by  Eaton's  Autocrat,  who  proved  a  good  sire, 
hut  the  plumage  of  his  chicks  was  dark.  In  all  these 
Autocrat-crosses  the  dark  undercolor  prevailed. 

One  of  the  other  sons  was  sent  to  Mr.  Estes,  of 
North    Carolina,    where   he   was   bred   to    birds   of 


92  Specific  Mating  of 

the  year  previous,  out  of  the  Phillips  birds  by  Old 
Autocrat,  producing  the  birds  Colossus,  Apollo,  and 
Triumph,  all  of  which  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Will- 
iams. That  the  blood  of  Old  Autocrat  was  radically 
different  from  other  established  strains,  is  appa- 
rent in  the  fact  that  whenever  crosses  were  made 
with  it  they  proved  good,  showing  increased  size  and 
producing  new  types,  which  had  equal  strength  in 
breeding  with  other  established  strains. 

The  friends  of  the  old  bird  express  a  regret  that  he 
could  not  have  lived,  and  his  progeny  bred  back  to 
him,  thinking  that  the  results  would  have  been  aston- 
ishing ;  and  they  consider  his  death  a  misfortune. 
Now  we  do  not  concur  in  this  opinion,  although 
friendly  to  Old  Autocrat,  for  his  progeny  bred  too 
dark.  It  may  be  said  that  this  fault  of  the  progeny 
was  derived  from  the  Phillips  hens.  To  this  we  can- 
not assent,  for  to  admit  this  is  to  accede  the  merit  of 
breeding  to  the  Phillips  stock,  and  to  admit  that  Old 
Autocrat  was  weak  in  breeding-qualities  ;  and  as  all 
breeding  tends  to  grow  lighter,  it  is  this  very  dark 
breeding  that  has  made  his  blood  so  valuable  to 
breeders  of  other  strains.  The  whole  rank  of  breed- 
ing within  two  years  will  hail  the  advent  of  another 
such  bird  with  joy.     To  prove  that  this  dark  blood 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  93 

and  breeding  is  the  work  of  Old  Autocrat,  we  will 
say  that  all  the  crosses  of  the  old  bird  with  the  Felch 
stock  resulted  in  dark-plumage  birds.     The  progeny 
of  Autocrat  3d,  whose  breeding  indicated  so  strongly 
the  Rankin  descent,  bred  even  darker  than  the  others  ; 
the    cross  of  Son    of  Colossus  with  the   Felch  hen 
Penelope  was  also  dark.     A  son  of  Duke  of  York 
out  of  a  T:es  hen,  even-mated  to  Felch  hen,  bred 
dark ;  yet  the  Rankin  blood  bred  to  Felch  did  not 
breed  dark,  nor  did  the  Tees  hen  bred  to  Natick,  the 
Felch  cock,  prove  dark.    We  could  cite  other  cases  of 
like  breeding,  all  of  which  goes  to  prove  Old  Auto- 
crat to  have  been  dark  in  blood  ;  and  in  my  judgment, 
had  he  lived  to  have  been  bred  to  his  own  progeny, 
they  would  have  been  so  very  dark  that  he  and  his 
descendants  would  have  been  abandoned.     As  it  is, 
he  and  his  blood  have  proved  a  blessing,  and,  where 
breeders  of  other  strains  have  had  the  patience  to 
wait  and  breed  back,  have  been  very  much  appre- 
ciated.    The  fact  that  the  hens  he  was  bred  to  in  Mr. 
Williams*  hands  were  of  a  mixed  strain  of  blood, 
made  his  progeny  of  far  more  value  ;  for  it  gave  the 
power  of  breeding  more  readily  to  his  influence,  and 
they  being  thus  made  up,  gave  the  preponderance  of 
blood  to  Old  Autocrat,  which  with  this  great  strength 


94  Specific  Mating  of 

of  breeding  which  wo  have  shown,  entitles  the  blood, 
to  the  name  of  a  *^  strain."  One  thing  is  certain,  his 
blood  has  been  the  only  competitor  the  Chamberlin- 
Felch  strain  has  ever  had,  and  surely  the  Felch  and 
the  Autocrat  birds  have  done  more  to  make  the  inter- 
est in  Light  Brahmas  what  it  is  in  America,  than  all 
other  causes  combined. 

So  thoroughly  has  Mr.  Williams  become  identified 
with  this  strain,  that  to  a  great  extent  it  is  quoted  as 
"Williams  stocli.  But  there  are  others  in  a  like  man- 
ner quoted,  which  makes  it  fair  to  state  that  Mr. 
Johnson  of  Newburyport,  Mass.,  Mr.  Comey  of 
Quincy,  Mass.,  Mr.  Plaisted  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  Mr. 
Buzzell  of  Clinton,  Mass.,  as  well  as  ]\Ir.  Williams, 
its  principal,  are  breeding  the  Autocrat  strain,  fed  by 
the  blood  of  the  Felch  and  the  Philadelphia  strains, 
and  that  of  other  sub-strains,  to  maintain  its  vitality. 

The  author  of  "  Secrets  in  Fowl  Breeding  "  speaks 
of  Mr.  Plaisted  as  breeding  the  Chamberlin  strain ; 
but  this  is  not  correct,  if  we  are  to  credit  the  pedi- 
grees in  the  "  Poultry- World's  Pedigree  Book."  By 
consulting  that,  we  see  that  it  is  as  strongly  bred  to 
Autocrat  as  can  well  be  done,  for  that  gentleman, 
when  he  renewed  his  old  love  in  breeding  Brahmas, 
purchased  of  Emory  Carpenter  his  entire  stock,  which 


2horough-bred  Fowls.  95 

comprised  one  brother  of  Colossus,  and  Carpenter's 
stock,  being  Autocrat  with  Tees  and  Felch  crosses, 
the  latter  through  the  Felch  hen  purchased  of  Mr. 
Buzzell. 

At  this  time,  or  soon  after,  Mr.  Plaisted  also  pur- 
chased of  Mr.  Williams  two  other  brothers  of  Colossus, 
making  three  sires  begotten  by  the  son  of  Old  Auto- 
crat, spoken  of  as  sent  by  Mr.  Williams  to  Mr. 
Estes,  and  out  of  pullets  by  Old  Autocrat  out  of  the 
Phillips  hens  first  sent  to  Mr.  Estes  by  Mr.  Williams. 
He  also  purchased  of  Mr.  Williams  a  pen  of  six  hens 
and  one  cock,  known  as  his  Favorite  strain  (see  in 
history  of  Autocrat) ,  and  a  pen  of  six  hens  and  ono 
cock,  one-half  Autocrat  and  one-half  Favorite  blood, 
buying,  as  he  termed  it,  families  for  breeding  pens, 
which,  as  may  be  seen,  makes  the  weight  of  blood  in 
the  Plaisted  stock  Autocrat,  if  we  are  to  accept  the 
pedigrees  as  printed,  and  the  above  facts. 

DUKE    or    YORK 

Mr.  Comey's  Duke  of  Yorlv  was  a  grandson  of  Old 
Autocrat  in  a  double  sense,  for  both  his  sire  and  dam 
were  the  progeny  of  Old  Autocrat  out  of  the  Phillips 
hens  5  bred  by  Mr .  Estes .   The  Phillips  hens ,  as  we  have 


96  ISj^eciflG  Mating  of 

described  above,  were  in  foundation-blood  the  same  as 
the  stock  sent  to  the  Queen  by  Mr.  Burnham.  The 
Duke  of  York  was  a  vigorous  bird,  and  lived  to  be 
bred  to  his  own  progeny,  and  also  to  the  Philadelphia 
hens  purchased  of  Chas.  Tees  by  Mr.  Comey  ;  and  to 
this  mating  we  believe  should  be  given  the  credit  of 
bringing  out  in  its  best  form  the  breeding  qualities  of 
the  Duke,  for  sons  by  the  Duke  out  of  his  daughter, 
mated  with  the  pullets  by  him  out  of  the  Philadelphia 
hens,  proved  excellent  birds  ;  but  the  first  cross  with 
the  Philadelphia  hen  developed  poor  combs,  as  did 
the  Philadelphia  stock  with  the  Felch. 

It  may  be  asked  by  the  friends  of  Philadelphia 
stock,  where  the  progeny  of  Colossus  got  their  faulty 
combs  ?  We  will  say,  just  where  the  Tees  stock  got 
it, —  from  the  Ranldn.  The  blood  was  there,  and  large 
birds  could  not  be  forced  without  its  development. 

Mr.  Comey  made  crosses  of  the  Rankin  strain, 
which,  as  he  informs  us,  he  abandoned,  as  it  with  the 
York  blood  developed  nothing  desirable  but  size. 
Since  1869  Mr.  Comey  has  confined  himself  prin- 
cipally to  difierent  Autocrat  crosses,  as  can  be 
seen  in  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  Duke  of  Springfield, 
etc.,  descendants  of  Colossus,  Apollo,  and  Triumph. 
He   has  adhered   more  closely  to  in-breeding  than 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  97 

most  other  friends  of  the  strain.  The  Light  Brahmas 
known  as  the 

BUZZELL   STOCK 

had  in  foundation-blood  the  Chamberlin  strain,  more 
generally  known  as  the  Felch  strain  up  to  1869,  when 
Mr.  Buzzell  commenced  to  use  top  crosses  of  Phila- 
delphia, also  Philadelphia  and  Autocrat  sires  in  the 
way  of  son  of  Duke  of  York,  Colossus,  and  others ; 
he  also  introduced,  in  1869,  females  from  the  Felch 
strain  by  Honest  Abe  307.  Mr.  Buzzell  has  not  con- 
fined himself  to  any  one  line,  and  his  stock  must 
be  spoken  of  in  general  terms  as  Autocrat,  Philadel- 
phia, and  Felch  blood,  the  first-named  probably  pre- 
dominating. 

In  closing  our  remarks  upon  the  blood  of  Autocrat, 
we  will  say  that,  so  far  as  they  allude  to  Mr.  Williams, 
they  were  submitted  to  him,  and  after  examination 
by  that  gentleman  we  received  the  following :  — 

Mr.  Felcu  :  — 

I  have  your  manuscript,  and  have  carefully  read  it.  I 
cannot  see  that  you  have  made  any  mistakes,  or  said  anything  that 
is  not  true ;  neither  could  I  add  anything  that  would  make  the 
history  more  complete.     Wishing  you  success,  I  am, 

Yours  truly, 

P.  WILLIAMS. 


98  Specific  Mating  of 


the  chambeelin  strain,  now  so  widely  known  as 
the"felch  strain." 

{See  group  of  Brahmas  opposite  page  74.) 

This  strain  is  well  known  as  coming  from  the  birds 
that  were  found  by  Mr.  Knox  in  the  India  ship  in 
New  York  City  in  1847.  The  first  to  breed  these 
birds  were  Mr.  Chamberlin  and  Mr.  Cornish  of  Con- 
necticut, and  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Childs  of  Ehode 
Island,  the  last-named  individual  winning  the  Al- 
bany and  Barnum  exhibitions  of  New  York.  The 
strain  was  in  but  very  few  hands  up  to  1852,  at  which 
time  at  Boston,  it  created  the  sensation  which  gave  to 
the  breed  an  identity  and  a  name.  For  several  years 
it  went  by  the  name  of  Brahmas  or  Short-legged 
Chittagongs,  the  breeders  clinging  to  the  then  good 
reputation  of  the  Chittagong.  But  from  1857  to 
1865  we  see  the  Chittagong  conceding  the  palm  to 
the  Brahma,  by  returning  the  compliment  and  being 
exhibited  as  single-combed  Brahmas ;  and  finally,  in 
1865  wo  find  them  discarded  altogether  as  a  race  — 
the  edict  that  all  Brahmas  should  have  a  pea-comb 
sending  them  into  oblivion. 

This  Chamberlin  strain  from  its  advent  has  bred,  as 
a  rule,  pea-combs  and  orange-yellow  legs.    The  early 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,     ^  99 

specimens  being  cream j-white,  and  the  prevailing 
undercolor  bluish-white,  it  has  been  a  struggle  to 
keep  this  bluish  undercolor,  for  all  strains  grow 
lighter,  and  at  the  present  writing,  with  all  the  care 
to  retain  it,  one  half  the  specimens  will  come  white 
in  undercolor.  To  secure  fine  neck-hackles  and 
dark  tails  and  wings,  this  bluish-white  undercolor  is 
absolutely  necessary ;  and  in  introducing  new  blood 
into  a  strain  one  can  see  how  important  it  is  that  a 
dark  specimen  be  chosen. 

From  the  original  birds  bred  by  Mr.  Chamberlin 
came  the  cock  Imperial  300  (the  male  that  has  been 
facetiously  mentioned  as  the  bird  Mr.  Felch  bought 
for  a  dollar  or  two,  out  of  a  hen-cart),  the  founder  of 
the  well-known  Felch  strain  of  Light  Brahmas. 

The  female  to  which  Imperial  300  was  mated,  came 
from  eggs  purchased  of  Mr.  Childs  (alluded  to  above) , 
and  were  from  Virgil  Cornish,  being  in  blood  the 
same,  and  the  name  of  Chamberlin  strain  would  be 
far  more  appropriate  as  indicative  of  its  origin  ;  but 
as  the  breeding-world  have  seen  fit,  in  their  generosity, 
to  know  the  strain  by  the  name  of  the  writer  of  this 
work,  he  can  only  accept  the  situation. 

The  writer  is  well  aware  that  but  for  his  love  for 
the  breed  during  the  lull  in  the  chicken  fancy,  from 


100  Specific  Mating  of 

1855  to  1864,  when  nearly  all  the  fanciers  allowed 
their  fowls  to  run  out,  so  to  speak,  and  accidental 
good  luck  in  the  way  of  an  Qgg  laid  by  Old  Princess 
out  of  which  Honest  Abe  307  was  hatched,  he  too  would 
have  lost  his  interest,  and  with  it  would  have  been 
lost  the  pedigree  and  proof  of  blood  that  has  pre- 
served the  identity  of  the  strain. 

The  writer  would  prefer  that  the  strain  should  be 
known  by  the  name  of  its  original  founder  rather 
than  to  have  it  as  it  is  ;  for  he  is  now  made  respon- 
sible for  the  breeding  of  the  strain,  it  matters  not 
who  mates  them,  nor  how  far  they  are  removed  from 
his  breeding ;  for  then  he  could  stand  or  fall  on  his 
own  merits  as  a  breeder,  and  his  reputation  would 
only  be  affected  by  the  specimens  bred  by  him  and 
sold  by  himself.  In  speaking  of  the  management  of 
the  strain,  we  will  do  so  in  the  first  person,  submitting 
the  following  :  — 

Since  the  purchase  of  Imperial  300  and  the  Qg^ 
out  of  which  I  produced  the  hen  Lady  Childs,  I  have 
kept  a  true  record  of  blood  and  breeding  of  all  the 
families  of  the  strain  which  I  have  bred.  This  dis- 
closes all  the  introductions  of  new  blood,  and  from 
what  source  it  has  come.  These  introductions  of  new 
blood  have  been  made  on  the  principle  that  all  animal 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  101 

life  is  suffering  a  continual  waste,  and  is  in  as  constant 
need  of  blood-food  in  a  reproductive  sense,  as  it  is  of 
daily  food  to  supply  the  waste  in  the  individual,  and 
experience  teaches  that  no  strain  can  be  sustained 
without  this  supply. 

The  blood  used  to  vitalize  the  strain  in  my  hands 
has  been  :  First  the  blood  of  the  old  Nanturier  hen,  as 
seen  in  the  use  of  Dutchess,  in  1858,  being  used  as 
stock  in  my  pedigree  fowls  in  the  hen  Princess  362, 
which  was  one-eisrhth  Nanturier  blood. 

o 

The  next  cross  was  Lady  Mills  364,  she  being 
three-fourths  Chamberlin  and  one-fourth  Burnham 
blood,  her  one-fourth  foreign  blood  being  derived 
from  the  then  so-called  Chittagong  or  Gray  Shanghai, 
from  the  Burnham  Qeeen  strain.  Since  1865  all 
new  blood  has  been  drawn  from  the  Autocrat  strain, 
as  seen  in  the  following  birds  (see  my  pedigrees, 
in  the  World's  Pedigree  Book)  :  — 

Autocrat  Belle,  392;  Eaton  Belle,  407;  Lady 
Ipswich,  1022  ;  and  Maud  Williams,  4146 ;  and  the 
cocks  Experiment,  337  ;  and  Ned  Williams,  4145,  a 
brother  to  Duke  of  Springfield. 

The  crosses  from  the  Philadelphia  birds  being  Chi- 
cago Belle,  382  ;  Mrs.  Strout,  404 ;  and  the  cockerel 
fourth-prize  cock  of  New  York,  1868. 


102  Specific  Mating  of 

By  the  tracing  of  these  pedigrees  it  will  be  seen 
just  how  much  blood  other  than  the  Chamberlin  (the 
original  blood)  is  now  represented  in  the  Felch  birds, 
or  strain  now  bred  by  me.  I  will  speak  of  some  of 
the  characteristics  developed  by  these  crosses. 

While  it  was  asserted,  at  the  1852  exhibition,  at 
Boston,  that  this  was  a  breed  that  would  never  run 
out,  and  although  there  has  never  been  a  breed  so 
severely  in-bred,  yet  all  this  introduction  of  blood 
was  necessary  to  preserve  the  original  type  and  color  ; 
for  if  continually  in-bred  a  loss  of  constitution,  a 
change  of  type,  and  a  reversion  to  white  in  color 
would  have  followed,  while  the  third  in-breeding  of 
new  blood  to  a  strain  will  invariably  result  in  fine 
specimens. 

In  the  early  crosses  of  Autocrat  blood  with  the 
Felch,  the  progeny  was  invariably  too  dark  in  plu- 
mage ;  and  although  oftentimes  developing  new  types, 
the  first  in-breeding  would  restore  three  fourths  of 
the  progeny,  while  a  portion  of  the  males  would 
revert  to  light  color,  as  in  the  case  of  Moses  327. 
The  third  in-breeding  to  the  strain  was  necessary  to 
a  full  restoration  to  the  Felch  type  and  color.  (For 
my  reason  for  that,  see  notes  in  history  of  Old  Au- 
tocrat.) 


TliorougJi-hred  Fowls,  103 

The  cross  of  Experiment  347  (Autocrat)  with  Co- 
lumbia 386  (Felch),  produced  chicks  of  the  same 
character,  which  took  two  in-breedings  to  restore. 

The  cross  of  Son  of  Colossus  (Autocrat)  to  Hene- 
lope  1019  (Felch)  presented  the  same  feature  ;  but  the 
third  in-breeding  to  the  strain  produced  birds  scal- 
ing 92  to  94  points,  and  many  won  first  prizes.  I 
think  that  had  Old  Autocrat  lived  to  have  been  bred 
to  his  own  progeny,  his  blood,  so  highly  prized  by 
breeders  of  other  strains  as  new  blood,  would  have 
been  discarded.  As  it  is,  I  presume  Mr.  Williams 
and  myself  have  oftentimes  been  censured,  or  at 
least  the  stock  has  been,  for  this  very  virtue, — 
stren2:th  of  breediui]:, —  bv  those  strivin^:  to  cross  the 
strains,  and  many  a  good  bird  abandoned,  which,  had 
it  been  bred  back  to  either  strain  would  have  devel- 
oped fine  stock. 

The  early  crosses  of  the  Philadelphia  birds  with  the 
Felch  invariably  produced  lopped  combs,  and  many 
that  maintained  their  upright  position  had  the  middle 
division  much  too  high.  This  and  the  development 
of  the  greenish-blue  vein  on  the  leg  show  clearly  the 
India  cross  in  the  blood  of  the  Philadelphia  birds. 

The  color  was  easily  controlled,  and  although  there 
was  seemingly  no  difference  in  the  size,  yet  the  pro- 


104  Specific  Mating  of 

geny  were  much  larger  in  the  first  cross,  and  were 
longer  in  arriving  at  maturity.  Chicago  Belle  382 
weighed  twelve  pounds  at  twelve  months  old.  This 
cross  as  developed  in  Prince  321  by  Honest  Abe  307, 
proved  a  very  desirable  one  as  can  be  proved  by  H.  S. 
Ball,  T.  L.  Sturtevant,  and  Mark  Pitman,  all  of 
whom  used  him  in  breeding.  Again  Tees  Duke  (Phil- 
adelphia blood)  bred  to  Lady  Fay  (Felch)  by  a  son  of 
Honest  Abe  307,  produced  the  sire  and  dam  of  the 
two  hens  known  as  the  Sturtevant  hens,  each  weigh- 
ing thirteen  and  one  fourth  pounds,  which  were  never 
exhibited  without  winning  a  prize.  Their  sire  and 
dam  were  not  large,  as  Mr.  Strout,  of  Framingham, 
Mass.,  their  breeder,  can  testify. 

The  fourth-prize  cock  of  New  York  for  1868  was 
one  half  Philadelphia,  one  fourth  Felch,  and  one 
fourth  the  blood  of  fowls  bred  by  Mr.  Pool  of  New 
York.  This  cock  bred  to  Felch  pullets,  daughters 
of  Honest  Abe  307,  produced  Lady  Rice  405,  out 
of  which,  by  a  son  of  Honest  Abe  307  (Optimus  315) , 
was  bred  Cceur  de  Lion  326,  one  of  the  best  Light 
Brahma  cocks  ever  bred  in  America,  and  the  sire  of 
many  prize-chicks,  among  which  was  Poqonnuck  999, 
Ben  Lidi  2777,  Coeur  de  Leon  6th,  Leo  2776, 
and    others,    selling    from    25    to    $100    each,    pro- 


Thorough-bred  Fowls.  105 

ducing  $1425  worth  of  chicks  iu  a  single  season. 
All  these  crosses  of  Philadelphia  blood  were  controlled 
in  color,  which  leads  me  to  consider  the  top  crosses  of 
the  Philadelphia  birds  to  be  Chamberlin  blood,  or 
that  of  a  kindred  nature.  I  speak  of  these  crosses 
to  show  how  dependent  the  breeder  of  one  strain  is 
upon  those  breeding  another,  and  that  whenever  new 
blood  is  taken  into  any  strain  of  well-bred  birds, 
when  it  is  reduced  by  in-breeding  to  that  quantity 
which  will  soon  be  consumed  by  the  strain,  that  the 
best  results  are  reached.  This  constant  feeding  of 
the  blood  is  necessary,  and  without  it  no  strain  can 
long  sur^dve.  By  one  systematic  rule  we  can  keep 
repeating  results  year  after  year. 

Science  tells  us  that  we  are  changing  constantly ; 
the  waste  in  our  blood  is  renewed  by  new  blood,  yet 
the  blood  in  breeding  type  is  the  same.  So  is  it  with 
strains.  The  new  blood  by  in-breeding  becomes  the 
weaker  and  the  prey  of  the  original  blood  that  con- 
sumes it,  constantly  invigorating  the  original  and  not 
changing  it  in  the  least  in  type  and  color. 

The  stock  known  as  the  "  Sturtevant  birds  "  were 
in  the  main  Felch  blood,  and  after  the  first  year's 
breeding  remained  three  fourths  Honest  Abe  blood 
and  one  fourth  that  of  the  fourth-prize  cock  of  New 


106  Sjpecific  Mating  of 

York  in  1868  ;  the  former  being  Felch,  the  latter  one- 
half  Philadelphia,  one-fourth  Felch,  and  one-fourth 
Pool  blood.  Coeur  de  Leon  326  was  bred  by  T,  L. 
Sturtevant,  thirteen-sixteenths  Felch  blood,  and  as  I 
have  said,  was  one  of  the  best  birds  ever  bred  in  Amer- 
ica. Mr.  Sturtevant  did  not  appreciate  him,  alwaj"^ 
supposing  his  best  birds  came  from  a  bird  which  h& 
many  times  won  the  Boston  exhibitions.  That  Mr, 
Sturtevant  was  honest  in  his  belief  is  apparent  in  th^ 
fact  that  he  loaned  Coeur  de  Leon  to  H.  F.  Felch  for 
the  season  of  1874,  with  the  results  previously  de- 
scribed. 

The  cross  of  the  Philadelphia  blood  with  the  Felch, 
as  developed  in  the  breeding  through  Prince  321  axid 
Coeur  de  Leon  326  in  the  yard  of  Thos.  L.  Sturte- 
vant, and  later  in  the  mating  of  Coeur  de  Leon  326 
with  Parepa  395  by  Moses  327,  by  II.  F.  Felch  in 
1874,  was  no  doubt  the  best  coupling  of  two  strains 
ever  made.  Had  Mr.  Sturtevant's  zeal  for  poultry 
culture  been  as  lasting  as  it  was  fervent  at  times,  he 
would  have  led  the  van.  But  his  greater  love  for  his 
dog  and  gun,  and  the  pressure  of  business,  liavo  led 
him  to  abandon  the  breeding  of  poultry  for  the 
present. 

To  review  the  subject  of  strains,  wo  come  to  this 


Thorough-bred  Fowls,  107 

fact :  that  there  are  but  very  few  strains  and  very  few 
marked  specimens  from  which  originality  of  type  has 
been  established ;  and  when  we  indulge  in  top  crosses 
we  destroy  the  strain,  unless  we  resort  to  in-breeding 
to  secure  the  benefit  of  the  cross,  and  to  ensure  the 
tjTpe  of  the  strain. 

We  find  also  that  all  the  strains  or  sub-divisions  of 
strains  were,  in  their  origin,  dark  in  undercolor,  and 
that  with  age  they  grow  lighter,  and  if  left  to  them- 
selves they  may  lose  their  original  type,  change  being 
written  on  all ;  and  only  by  persistent  efibrt  can  these 
original  types  be  retained.  We  should  feel  that  as 
long  as  we  deliver  up  into  other  hands  these  strains 
as  good  as  wo  receive  them,  we  have  been  equal  to 
the  task  of  breeding  them,  and  should  be  considered 
breeders  ;  and  that  if  we  can  improve  a  breed,  surely 
we  deserve  praise.  I  am  one  of  the  few  that  say 
there  are  no  better  specimens  exhibited  to-day  than 
were  exhibited  years  ago.  But  I  do  believe  the  gen- 
eral average  is  far  better.  The  excellence  of  the  few 
is  controlled  by  a  fixed  law,  viz  :  The  eternal  fitness 
of  things,  which  says  "Thus  far  canst  thou  go,  O 
man,  and  no  farther."  We  are  not  endowed  with  the 
infinite,  and  our  matings  are  sometimes  blunders. 

If  in  this  little  work  I  shall  have  caused  but  one 


108  Specific  Mating  of 

to  breed  with  care  and  thought  as  regards  the  correct 
principles  of  breeding,  instead  of  a  hap-hazard  sort 
of  way,  settling  all  these  questions  by  personal  ex- 
aminations, acting  on  the  principle  of  working  by  no 
rule  that  does  not  have  the  endorsement  of  sound 
judgment,  then  I  shall  not  regret  the  labor  it  has 
cost. 


FINIS, 


APPEJV'DIX. 


TO  OUR  PATRONS  AND  FRIENDS. 

Now,  as  the  last  pages  of  this  work  go  to  press,  so 
generous  has  been  the  support  of  our  friends,  that  we 
are  enabled  to  say  that  nearly  the  whole  edition  has 
been  ordered,  and  will  be  quite  exhausted  by  the  time 
it  can  be  distributed ;  and  we  are  led  to  thank  those 
who  have  lent  their  support. 

First,  to  those  who  have  advertised  with  us,  thereby 
assisting  us  in  a  substantial  manner :  being  grateful 
for  their  favors,  we  take  pleasure  in  calling  the  at- 
tention of  our  readers  to  them,  knowing,  as  we  do, 
jthat  they  are  honorable  men  ;  and  we  can  fully  endorse 
them,  for  they  will  deal  fairly  with  their  patrons. 

To  Messrs.  P.  Willliams,  Joseph  M.  Wade,  George 

Butters,  C.  A.  Keefer,  and  James  M.  Lambing,  for 

the  cuts  furnished  us,  which  we  deem  the  best  of  the 

many  now  in  use ;  and  if  they  are  the  portraits  of 

these  gentlemen's  breeding  stock,  no  more  need  be 

said  in  their  praise. 

109 


110  Ajypendix. 

To  E.  C.  Comey  and  Joseph  M.  Wade,  for  infor- 
mation which  enabled  the  writer  to  present  the  sub- 
ject-matter upon  strains  of  Light  Brahmas  in  its 
present  relations. 

To  the  Poultry  Journals,  for  generous  courtesies 
extended  to  us. 

And  last,  but  not  least,  to  James  F.  Mooar,  and 
Edwin  DeMeritte  for  personal  favors  received  at  their 
hands. 

To  each  and  all  of  these,  and  to  the  generous  pub- 
lic and  fraternity  of  Poultry  Breeders,  Avho  have 
come  forward  with  their  support,  we  return  our 
thanks,  hoping  that  the  present  pleasant  relations 
may  ever  exist. 

I.  K.  FELCH. 

Natick,  ;Mass., 
August,  '77 


POULTRY    JOURNAL. 

A  splendid  3  column,  32-page,  Illustrated  Monthly  Magazine  devoted  to 
the  breeding  and  management  of 

Poultry,  Pigeons,  &  Pet  Stock. 

IT  HAS  THE 

LARGEST  CORPS  of  PRACTICAL  BREEDERS 

As  editors  and  correspondents  of  any  Journal  of  its  class  in  America,  and  is 

the 

Finest    Poultry    Journal    in    the      World ! 

IT  IS  THE 

Best  Advertising  Medium 

In  the  United  Stated,  for  those  wishing  to  reach  the 

SOUTHERN    AND    WESTERN     TRADE, 

as  it  has  a  larger  circulation  in  the  West  and  South  than  any  other  Poultry 
Journal  published. 

Subscriptions  51.25  per  year  for  plain  edition  :  f  2.00  per  year  for  Chro- 
mo-plate  edition  (each  number  coaitaining  a  beautiful  eight  to  ten  color 
plate  of  prize  fowls,)  strictly  in  advance.  Send  13  cents  for  specimen  copy 
of  plain  edition,  or  20  cents  for  specimen  of  Chromo  edition. 

(B^^No  attention  paid  to  postal  cards  asking  for  specimen  numbers. 

O-  or.  'W-A.Iil).  Editor  a.iid  Proprietor, 

183  Clai'lc  Street,  Oliicago,  111. 


^ 


BREEDEK  OF 

BROWN  LEGHORN  FOWLS. 


I  believe  in  specialties,  and  past  experience  teach- 
es me,  that  one  breed  well  handled  pays  best. 

For  merit  of  quick  growth,  hardy  constitution, 
early  and  persistent  layers,  number  of  eggs  produced, 
combined  with  beauty  of  plumage,  none  equal  the 

BROWN   LEGHORN. 

I  have  this  year  added  to  my  own  strain  the  well 
known 

which  Mr.  Felch   so  justly  compliments.     Among 
which  is  the  noted  cock 


OHIHI?  ^ 


The  winner  of  four  first  Premiums. 

I  am  able  to  furnish  chicks  pure  from  each  of 
these  strains  and  those  combining  the  two  ;  and  my 
price  will  be  according  to  the  number  of  points  they 
scale  and  no  cull,  sold  at  any  price. 

This  seasons  breeding  has  been  very  successful, 
and  T  can  furnish  stock  for 

that  is  equal  to  any  in  the  country. 

Address  by  letter  for  particulars  and  price.      (Postal  cards  not  noticed.) 

H.    A.    SHOREY, 

146  Jremont  St.,  Golden  Rule  Office,  Boston,  Mass. 


(^  W-'Tg))  IMF  Wt  IW 

R 0  U P    ML L S. 

This  old-established   and   Popular   Remedy   has 
given  such 

UMIVE(kSAL     SATISFACTIOJ^ 
that  we  have  secured  its   exclusive     proprietorship. 

Agents  Wanted. 

We  want  a  suitable  Agent  in  every  town  in  the 
U.  S.,  and  Canada,  to  sell  the 

This  medicine  has  been  before  the  public  over*  five 
years,  and  is  well  known  to  poultry  keepers,  and 
sells  readily.  We  offer  a  liberal  discount  to  our 
agents.  The  Roup  is  the  most  prevalent  disease 
among  poultry,  and  a  poultry  dealer  can  sell  many 
packages  in  a  year  among  his  customers,  with  very 
little  trouble.     Apply  at  once  and  secure  an  agency. 

There  are  spurious  Roup  Pills  in  the  market, 
vendors  of  which  are  trying  surreptitiously  to  profit 
by  the  well-earned  fame  of  the  original  German 
Roup  Pills. 

Beware  of  Imitations. 

Retail  Price,  50  Cents  per  box  of  genuine  Ger- 
man Roup  Pills,  sent  by  mail  to  any  address  on  re- 
ceipt of  price. 

Address, 
Editor  and  Proprietor  of  Poultry  World. 

Hartford,    Oonn. 


1^^  T. 


B 


# 


Watertown,       _       -      -        Conn. 


BREEDER  OF 


PllTUBCI 


Bred  from  Imported  Stock,  and  from   fine    Speci- 
mens from  the  Felch  and  Williams'  Strain. 


Plymouth  Rocks, 

from  the  well  known  Upham  Stock. 
I  can  furnish  Eggs  in  their  season  and 

FOWLS    AND    CHICKENS, 

at  Short  Notice,  and  will  satisfy  all  who  will  en- 
trust their  orders  to  me. 

In  ordering  Stock  be  particular  and  describe  fully 
what  you  want,  and  in  shiping  directions,  give  your 
Town,  County  and  State  in  full. 

I  could  give  a  List  of  Premiums  Won,  but  prefer 
to  sell  my  stock  on  their  merits. 


B.  B.  LEWIS. 


Wha  W' 


•mmiM[%W^ 


'#p1#« 


IS  THE 


0LBE8T,  LARGEST 


MOST 


AND  THE    


(Devoted     Exclusively      to     Poultry. 

TH-A-T    THEPIE    IS    IIsT    ESZISTEilNrCE. 
PUBLISHED    BY 

Hartfoi'd  Coniic 

Subscriptions  ^1,Q5  per  year. 


Advertisements. — One  Month,  30  cents  per 
|ine  ;  Three  Months,  25  cents  ;  Six  Months,  20 
cents  ;  Twelve  Months,  15  cents. 


A  Series  of   Twelve    Magnificent 


111 


Each  Representing  a  Standard  Breed  of  Fowls, 
Sent  for   Seven-t^^-fiT^e*   Oents   Extra, 


1877. 


:#KHSW  M  mwEMeMn 


f 


BBEEDEES    OF 


Trotting  and  Road  Horses, 


AND 


ALSO, 

Tlioroiigli.-bred  Poultry  and   Pigeons 

ConsistiBg  of  the  following  varieties  : 


U^ht 


mb^^i 


X^PHILADELPHIA  STRAIN  ) 
COCHINS,     LEGHORNS, 

AND  WHITE  HOLLAND  TURKEYS, 

SOLID,  SILVER  TURBITS, 

CARRIERS,    OWLS, 

AND  ANTWERP  PIGEONS. 

Our  Lt.  Brahmas  are  bred  directly  from  a  Strain 
of  blood,  wliicli  finds  its  foundation  in  the  blood  of 
the    Cock 


kVM^ 


h 


i) 


We  have  other  yards  the  result  of  "  Wright's" 
progeny  upon  the  Autocrat  Strain,  and  it  is  an  ac- 
knowledged fact,  that  the  best  results  follow  cross- 
es, of  these  Philadelphia  Birds  with  other  prom- 
inent Strains. 

Correspondence  is  solicited. 

Address,  EASTON,  PENN. 


1877. 


I.  m.  »HtCHi 


i 


'Asien*  MM 


BREEDER  OF 


Jersey  and  Ayrshire  Cattle, 

Berkshire  Pigs, 

and   Shepherd  Dogs. 

Pedigree 

Light  Bpmhmms 

FELCH    STRAIN. 

Dark  Brahmas,  Cochins, 
Plymouth  Rocks, 

White  and  Brown  Leghorns, 

Pekin  Dncks, 
Bronze  Turkeys,    and  Pigeons. 

Ji^^Each  Breed  Colonized  on  a   different  Parm 
to  prevent  Crossing. 


1877. 


Mm    C®    AMMMW^ 


BREEDER    OF 


M®m€mm  IF®^ls^ 


f 


(EXCLUSIVELY.) 


My  present  breeding  Stock,  has  a  wonderful  in- 
creased size  as  compared  to  the  earl}^  importations, 
and  in  merit,  as  egg  producers  and  fine  color  and 
SYMMETRY  equal  to  any  strain  now  bred  in  the  States. 

Among  my  several  yards  are  the  Sire 

COL.  BLAKE, 

a  Cock  weighing  eight  and  three-fourths  lbs.,  (being 
bythe  "old  cock"  Capt.  Ward)  and  Ten  Females 
weighing  from  six  and  one-half  to  seven  and  three- 
fourths  lbs.,  all  models  of  symmetry  and  color,  and 
from  which  I  offer  young  Stock  for  Sale  that  are  of 
superior  merit  as  breeding  Stock  or  for  Exhibition. 


#) 


by  my  Strain,  I  would  call  your  attention  to  the 
different  Poultry  Societies  Reports  for  the  past  five 
years.  - 

Write  for  particulars  and  address  me  at 

Hyde  Park,  Mass. 


The  American  Poultry 


mBe)0)€^TrmTTrriM 


This  organization  is    composed  of  representative 
Fanciers  throughout  the 

United  States   and  Canada, 

and  as  its  sole  object  is  to  benefit  Fanciers  and  the 
Poultry  interest,  every  Fancier  in  America  should 
support  it  by  becoming  a  member. 

"  TBE  iilil  STiMD  «  EmLEtt" 


is  published  by  this  Association  and  gives  a  full 
description  of  every  variety  of  Fowl  recognized,  and 
should  be  in  the  possession  of  every  person 


Who   Breeds   a   Fowl. 

PRICE  ONE  DOLLAR.  For  Sale  by  the 
Secretary,  or  any  or  any  of  the  various  Poultry 
Papers  Published  in  the  United  States  or  Canada. 

For  particulars  in  reg-erd  to  Membership,  Consti- 
tution and  By-Laws,  and  list  of  Officers,  or  for  the 
Standard, 

Address, 

J.  T.  BICKNELL,  Secretary, 
C.  A.  SWEET,  President.  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 


18T7. 


HEADQUARTERS  FOR 


IB     BOS! 


BRED  FROM  THE  BEST 


Scotch  ''Collie"  Strains. 


Also,  ENGLISH  LONG  HAIRED  SPECIMENS. 
FURNISHED  IF  DESIRED. 

Fifteen  varieties  of  Fancy 


consisting  of  CARRIERS     POUTERS,     JACKO- 
BINS,     FANTAILS,     SPOTS,     AFRICAN 
AND     ENGLISH     OWLS,     TURBITS, 

TRUMPETERS,     TUMBLERS,   BARBS,    ANT- 
WERPS  AND  WHITE  GERMAN  DRUMS. 

Also, 


Address  Box  132, 


NATICK,  MASS. 


WMm  Wmmmi'mwm^  &mmwmml 

DEVOTED    ENTIRELY    TO 

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Its  Contributors  are  Experienced  Breeders,  Nat- 
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THE  SOUTHERN  POULTRY  JOURNAL 

A  handsomely  Illustrated  Monthly,  published  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  the  first  of  each  month. 

(Devoted    Exclusively    to    (Poultry. 

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and  practical  guide  to  the  Fancier,  Breeder,  Farmer 
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Soxxtherxi  I*oxilti'y  .Jorirnal  Comj^any. 

P.  O.  Box  69,  Louisville,  Ky. 


^a^ss  H®  lim^Mm^f 


BREEDER  OF 


Pedigree    Light    Brahmas, 

(IFelcli     Strain,) 

Black  Hamburgs, 
Leghorns, 

Plymouth  Rocks, 

AND  BLACK  BREASTED 

lEl  CIME  BIITIMSe 

Fowls  always  for   Sale. 

Eggs  and  Chicks  in  Season. 

Send  me  your  address,  and  I  will  send  you  my 
Circular.  I  have  as  good  stock  of  the  varieties 
named  as  any  man  in  America,  and  guarantee 

Entire  Satisfaction  in  all  Cases.  . 

Address, 

JAMES  M.  LAMBING, 

Parker's  X^andLing-,   I*a. 


1877. 


® 


I® 


BKEEDER  OF 


PLYMOUTH  ROCK 


For 

Eight 

Years  I 

have 

made 

this 

breed 

specialty 


an 
was 
ong 
first 

rec 
nize 
supe 

mei 


I  issue  no  Circulars,  but  believe  my  close  care  in  selecting  the  ] 
Stock,  has  produced  me 

J^      S  T  li  .^  I  TV, 

unsurpassed  in  beauty  and  uniformity  of  markings,  symmetry  and  ' 
Laying  qualities, — merits  which  have  been  recognized  at  many  of 

JI^^For  particulars  address  me  at 

NASHUA, 


